Adriaen Matham (Haarlem, 1590-1660)[1] was a Dutch artist, engraver and art dealer.[2]
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Matham was the son of Dutch engraver Jacob Matham and his wife Marijtgen; he was brother to the engravers Jan and Theodor Matham. Adriaen was a member of the Haarlem St Adriaen schutterij(the city archers) in 1618. In 1620 he engraved a series of prints on the Counts of Holland that were only published after his death in 1663. He was painted by Frans Hals in 1627. In 1635 he drew Isaac Massa, a merchant on Russia, and Pieter van den Broecke after a painting by Hals. Matham married three times; once in Amsterdam.
In 1640 Matham was a member of a Dutch embassy to the king of Morocco, Mohammed esh Sheikh es Seghir, led by Antonius de Liedekerke.[2] They were received by Jan Janszoon, a notorious pirate, who was visited by his daughter Lysbeth and her husband.[3] Then the embassy visited the king in Marrakesh.[2]
Adriaen Matham made a famous drawing and an engraving of the El Badi Palace, before it was destroyed.[2] Adriaen Matham is further known to have visited the harbour of Mogador in 1641, where he noted the presence of Jews, who were trading with the Netherlands and England.[4] He also drew quit a few fishes he saw.[5] On their way back they visited Madeira, with the crew of another ship on board, who had been kept in Morocco as slaves.
He lived in The Hague as an artdealer around the year 1654.[6] Adriaen collaborated with or sold his work to Joan Blaeu, the cartographer [7] and worked for Adriaen van de Venne, a member Confrerie Pictura.