Isaac Lodewijk la Fargue van Nieuwland artwork • painting • previously for sale An Amsterdam patriot holding 'de Post van den Neder-Rhijn'

About this painting: Isaac Lodewijk was part of the famous 18th-century artist family La Fargue, consisting of four brothers and one sister who chose the artistic profession and devoted themselves to painting and drawing cityscapes. The eldest of the five was Isaac Louis La Fargue, who added his mother's name, Van Nieuwland, to his own. He focused primarily on making etchings and engravings but also painted. Together with his younger brother Paulus Constantijn la Fargue, he engraved the portraits of famous Italian painters, including Michelangelo, Raphael, and Tintoretto, in the publication 'Tooneel der uitmuntende schilders van Europa […]', 1752. In 1768, Isaac Lodewijk became a member of the Confrerie Pictura in The Hague. To date, we have not been able to establish the identity of the patriot depicted here. It is certain that he was a member of one of the Amsterdam patriotic arms societies. These societies played an important role in the return of a Dutch monarch to the Dutch throne following the departure of Louis Napoleon. He was presumably a member of the 'Tot Nut der Schutterij' arms society. The rifle with bayonet indicates the rank of lieutenant, ensign, or sergeant. The prominently depicted flute may also indicate that he was a fifer. 18th-century companies marched with two drummers and a fifer.