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Johan de la Faille (1626 or 26 December 1628 – 14 October 1713) was a member of thevroedschap inDelft. As a supporter of princeWilliam III of Orange, he was appointed in 1672, theYear of Disaster after theFirst Stadtholderless Period, when theDutch Republic was in danger.
Johan de la Faille was the owner of a famouscuriosity cabinet, which was started by his grandfather and father, mainly ofsea shells,[1] including a specimen of the precious wentletrapEpitonium scalare[2] and the cone shellConus cedonulli,[3] as well as birds,Roman coins and medals,porcelain,tapestries and paintings.
The family De la Faille or Della Faille has its origin inAntwerp and traded on theLevant already in 1540, with some of its family members taking up residence in Venice.[4] The family split when around 1585 some members emigrated to the North of the Netherlands, c.q. Haarlem, Dordrecht, or Leiden, where they becameprotestant.
Johan de la Faille's father was Barnardus la Faille who resided inThe Hague. His father was an accountant for thestadholderMaurice of Orange. He had married in 1618 with Elisabet Camerling fromDelft.[5]
Very little is known of Johan's life. He probably studied law and visited France and Italy in 1667. Johan married on 28 January 1671 with Anna (Margaretha) Delff, (1647–1715). The couple had four children: Johan Bernard, Cornelis, Abraham and Elisabeth.[6] He wasbailiff in Delft between 1680 and 1713.
