In 1680, he married Magdalena, daughter and sole heir of Vermeer's main patron Maria de Knuijt, her mother, with her father Pieter van Ruijven.
He married Magdalena Pieters van Ruijven, born in 1655,[1][2] on 14 April 1680,[3] and was generally known after that by her husband's surname.
[4] Her parents were Pieter van Ruijven and Maria de Knuijt, patrons of Johannes Vermeer for the better part of the artist's career.
In 2023, his mother-in-law Maria de Knuijt was identified by the curators of the 2023 exhibition of Vermeer's works at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam as the main patron due to her long-standing and supportive relationship with the artist.
[10] Dissius borrowed money from his father to pay for burial and related costs, including mourning clothes.
[2] The inventory of 1683 stated the number of paintings for each applicable room, totaling 20 Vermeer works of art.
[3] Magdalena's maternal uncle Vincent de Knuijt and her paternal aunts Sara and Maria took Dissius to the High Court of Holland in 1684 and 1685 about the estate.
When some of Vermeer's works resurfaced, they were incorrectly attributed to other Dutch artists, like Pieter de Hooch and Rembrandt.