Two lovers (?) Dutch painting in the 19th century

Jan Willem Pieneman (1779-1853):

Louis Royer, sculptor, and Albertus Bernardus Roothaan, stock broker, patron of arts and science (seated)

ca. 1825, Rijksmuseum.

 

This is, of course, supposed to be a portrait of two friends, just friends.

But look closely. They must be lovers.

The statue in the painting is also Royer's: a Greek sheperd beating a snake.

Not gay, with a statue like that?

 

Pieneman also created the statues of Rembrandt and Vondel (in Amsterdam)

and that of Michiel de Ruyter in Vlissingen..

Rembrandt wasn't nearly as 'popular' then as he is today.

But when the Belgians had a statue of Rubens in 1840, Dutch pride was hurt,

and a whopping 1.600 guilders was spent on commissioning a Rembrandt statue.

But - very Dutch - it had to be cheap: of iron, not bronze.