Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679) was born in Cologne. He is considered to be the major Dutch playwright of the Golden Age. Vondel wrote plays and hundreds of occasional poems, such as the one commemorating the inauguration of the Town Hall in 1655. In 1653 he was distinguished by the Amsterdam painters’ Guild of St Luke. This portrait by Govert Flinck possibly commemorates the occasion. Vondel wrote a poem about himself in connection with the portrait. Govert Flinck came from Cleves, a town in Germany on the eastern border with the Dutch Republic. In 1633 he moved to Amsterdam where he studied under Rembrandt for three years. In the 1640s Flinck was a celebrated portrait painter. He became friendly with Vondel, probably around 1653. Flinck painted the writer, who in turn sang the praises of the painter.