Visited by Johann Anderson, a German lawyer and natural scientist

Date: 
April 1, 1697

Johann Anderson (1674-1743) was a German lawyer and natural scientist. He studied law in Leipzig and Halle and did his doctorate in Leiden as Doctor iuris utriusque. His book Beschryving van Ysland, Groenland en de Straat Davis was published posthumously in 1747 in Germany and translated into several languages, including Dutch in 1750. The unpaginated preface contains a brief biography, which says that Anderson first came to the Dutch Republic on 10 April 1697 (my translation):

"Here he saw the principal places and towns, and made himself known to the most famous scholars and artists. At Delft he maintained a familiar relationship with Mr. Leeuwenhoek, that zealous explorer of nature, and the wonders which this observant man showed him in nature, which only became visible to the eyes when he took advantage of the art, produced in Mr. Anderson the noble zeal to spend his empty hours henceforth in the exploration of nature for the glorification of the Creator."

After Anderson returned to Germany, he worked as an attorney and was mayor of Hamburg for the final twenty years of his life. The portrait on the right was done by Christian Fritzsch in 1728, when Anderson was 54 years old.