Jacob Frans van der Merck, Dutch c.1610-1664- Portrait of Ludwig Ziegler (1608-1681), half-length, wearing a black silk tunic and white collar; and a Portrait of Elizabetha Margaretha Spina (1626-1702), half-length, wearing a black silk dress with elaborate white lace triple collar, her hair dressed in ringlets; oil on oak panel and oil on canvas, two, both feigned ovals, both signed, the latter dated 1647, 74x58.5cm and 76.5x62cm (2) Provenance: Lots 1 - 12 are from the same UK private collection. Note: Born in ‘S-Gravendeel around 1610, Jacob Frans van der Merck was apprenticed in Delft, and subsequently worked in The Hague and Leiden, producing works spread across multiple genres, including portraiture, still life and genre scenes, all completed in the distinctive Dutch manner of the period. The present paintings - although similar in composition and technique - were likely to have been produced at different times during the artist’s career due to one being completed on panel and the other on canvas. We can discern the date of 1647 on the portrait on Elizabetha Margaretha Spina, with her age being of 21 years, however the portrait of Ludwig Ziegler, on oak panel, seems to have been executed slightly earlier, with a possible date below the signature suggesting some time during the 1640s as well. Ludwig and Elizabetha were apparently married and would have three sons and four daughters. According to records van der Merck was a member of the painters’ guild in Dordrecht from 1640 to 1649, so around the time these portraits were painted. These engaging portraits display his highly accomplished and realistic technique much sought after during the period. We are grateful to Dr. Fred G. Meijer for confirming the authenticity of these portraits based on images provided. Please refer to department for condition report