Willem van Ruytenburch

In 1611 Pieter purchased the manor of Buitenweide (modern-day Oostwijk [nl]), in Vlaardingen, from Charles de Ligne, 2nd Prince of Arenberg, for 26,000 guilders.

[5][1][2] The manor also gave the holder the right to appoint half of the Vlaardingen vroedschap (council), which was resented by some as the van Ruytenburchs were considered outsiders.

[1] In the mid 1630s Willem was appointed as a schepen (alderman) of Amsterdam and lieutenant in Captain Frans Banninck Cocq's Schutterij (city guard) company.

He was commemorated in Rembrandt's 1642 painting The Night Watch, holding a prominent position in the foreground dressed in expensive and ornate yellow clothing and carrying a ceremonial lance.

[6] Because of his presence in The Night Watch, recognised as one of the best paintings of the Dutch Golden Age, Willem van Ruytenburch achieved greater fame (as "the man dressed in yellow") after his death than he had in life.

[2] Willem's descendants remained as ambachtsheer [nl] (minor gentry) in Vlaardingen until 1830, when the Het Hof estate was sold to the city and demolished.