World find: tattoo on 17th-century Amsterdam group portrait 

During an inspection of a 17th-century painting in the Amsterdam Museum collection, a tattoo was discovered on the wrist of a prominent Amsterdam merchant. This is a world-class discovery, meaning that the earliest known depiction of a tattoo in Western European painting is now in Dutch hands. 

Sometimes it can take a long time before a special detail in a work of art is noticed. This recently happened with a portrait of the college of The High Commissioners of the Walloons from 1674, attributed to Wallerant Vaillant (1623-1677) in the collection of the Amsterdam Museum. During an inspection of the condition of this painting, which depicts four commissioners seated around a table, restorer Liesbeth Abraham discovered a tattoo on the inside of the wrist of one of the subjects. It appears to be the earliest known depiction of a tattoo in Western European painting. 

Inland ports

The painting, presumably by Wallerant Vaillant, is a group portrait of the Chief Commissioners of the Wharves. They supervised the management of the city's harbours, wharves and cranes. Amsterdam had old and new wharves, inland harbours bordering the IJ that served as mooring places for ships. The college was part of the city administration and played a crucial role in Amsterdam's logistics, trade and infrastructure from the seventeenth century onwards. The painting shows four chief commissioners, the harbour master, his servant and the captain of the harbour guards, with a view of the harbour behind them. One of the four gentlemen shows the inside of his wrist; as his sleeve creeps upwards, a very special element becomes visible: a tattoo, in the centre of the composition.

Tattoos are not done‘

“There are no known visual or written sources from seventeenth-century Amsterdam that explicitly describe or depict tattoos. “That makes the tattoo on the wrist of this Amsterdam gentleman such a special find,” says Judith van Gent, head of collections and research at the Amsterdam Museum. “Moreover, tattoos were still considered ‘not done’ for the citizens of seventeenth-century Amsterdam; they were associated with sailors, criminals or outsiders. This makes the tattoo on the wrist of this chief commissioner even more remarkable.” The man with the tattoo has been identified as Wessel Smits, a wealthy merchant born around 1618/19. According to Van Gent's research, Smits moved in intellectual and literary circles through his stepfather Philibert Vernatti. He was acquainted with the poet Jacob Cats and the physicist Isaac Beeckman, among others. Van Gent found this to be a clue to the possible meaning of Smits’ tattoo. 

Special birth constellation

Not a flower, not a compass rose, but most likely a tailed star or comet: that is what adorns Smits’ wrist. In the seventeenth century, a comet was visible in Western Europe in 1618: the period when Wessel Smits was born. Some saw this cosmic phenomenon as a sign of God's wrath. “It is quite possible that Smits saw the comet in line with his moment of birth,” says Van Gent. “Perhaps his stepfather Vernatti pointed out to Smits in his youth that he was born under a special star. In any case, he attached so much importance to it that he wanted to be portrayed with it.” 

World discovery

In its search for the meaning and background of this unique 17th-century tattoo, the Amsterdam Museum also asked Amsterdam tattoo artist Henk Schiffmacher for his insights and suggestions. He too had never seen such an early Amsterdam tattoo and refers to it as a ‘world discovery’. Together with him, the Amsterdam Museum is continuing its research into this remarkable tattoo image. “Where and when Smits had the tattoo done is still unknown,” explains Van Gent. “As far as we know, tattoos were not done in Amsterdam. Smits may have gained experience travelling abroad with his stepfather and had the tattoo done there, but this requires further investigation.”

From 25 November 2025 to 1 March 2026, Vaillant's painting will be on display in a small exhibition at Huis Willet-Holthuysen in Amsterdam (Herengracht 605, open Mon-Sun 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.).Several items from Henk Schiffmacher's collection will also be on display. In mid-December, Henk Schiffmacher will tattoo five visitors with the historic comet star tattoo during a special event.