Life
He was the oldest son of Pieter de Graeff and Jacoba Bicker, his elder brother was Cornelis de Graeff II., Baron of Purmerland and Ilpendam, and De Graeffs younger sister Agneta de Graeff, who married to Jan Baptiste de Hochepied, lives in a City-Palace today called Kabinet der Koningin.
After his studies at the University of Leiden in the year 1699, he became an advisor and from 1709 to 1714 a member of the vroedschap of the City of Amsterdam.
De Graeff residence at the Herengracht in a house now called Tassenmuseum Hendrikje, at castle Ilpenstein and at Bronstee, a Countryhouse near Heemstede.
In the year 1709 Johan married Johanna Hooft, they had five children:
- Jacoba Adriana de Graeff (1710–1745), married to Mr. Jacob Jan de Blocq van Kuffeler
- Gerrit de Graeff I (1711–1752), married to Maria Elisabeth Sautijn and later with Elisabeth Lestevenon; Gerrit succeeded his as Lord of Zuid-Polsbroek.
- Alida Joanna de Graeff (1713–1757), married with Mr. François de Witt.
Johan de Graeff has a big art collection including paintings from Rembrandt van Rijn, Gerard Ter Borch and Jacob van Ruisdael. The collection know three very famous pictures, Catharina Hooft with her Nurse, painted by Frans Hals, Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph and Portrait of Andries de Graeff, both from Rembrandt.
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Famous quotes containing the word life:
“The secret of a long life is knowing when it’s time to go.”
—Michele Shocked (b. 1962)
“There is in him, hidden deep-down, a great instinctive artist, and hence the makings of an aristocrat. In his muddled way, held back by the manacles of his race and time, and his steps made uncertain by a guiding theory which too often eludes his own comprehension, he yet manages to produce works of unquestionable beauty and authority, and to interpret life in a manner that is poignant and illuminating.”
—H.L. (Henry Lewis)
“We only seem to learn from Life that Life doesn’t matter so much as it seemed to do—it’s not so burningly important, after all, what happens. We crawl, like blinking sea-creatures, out of the Ocean onto a spur of rock, we creep over the promontory bewildered and dazzled and hurting ourselves, then we drop in the ocean on the other side: and the little transit doesn’t matter so much.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)