BY JOHANNES BURGERHUYS, MIDDELBURG, 1661

Johannes Burgerhuys (d. 1679) was the master founder at the Middelburg foundry, in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. He made a pair of cannons, dated 1675, for Jacob van Reygersberg (1625-1675), the regent of Zeeland, which are now in the Rijksmuseum (NG-NM-10272-B). The canon and the present mortar share some of the same motifs, most notably the female mask below the muzzle which adorns the central frieze of the mortar. Middelburg was a major power in the New Dutch republic and the importance of its harbour meant that there was a strong demand for canons.