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Jan Palthe (1717-1769)
Tiberius Hemsterhuis (1685-1766). Dated 1757. Canvas, 77 × 61 cm.

Leiden, Rijksuniversiteit. In the Senate Chamber of Leiden University since 1774 or earlier.

The son of a distinguished Frisian doctor, Hemsterhuis was recognized as a child prodigy. At the age of thirteen he entered the university of Groningen, where he studied mathematics, Greek, Hebrew and theology. At the age of nineteen, in 1704, he became professor of philosophy and mathematics at the school of higher learning (not yet a university) in Amsterdam, but a serious conflict with the board, probably of a political nature, led to his quick departure. In 1717 he was appointed professor of Greek at Franeker. He also taught Dutch history (one of his students was the son of the Frisian stadholder), from 1738 on as professor. In 1740 he accepted a chair in Leiden, where he served several terms as rector, and addressed Stadholder Willem IV in the name of the university senate. His scholarly reputation was based mainly on his contributions to the study of ancient Greek, which he treated separately from the Oriental languages.

NNBW, vol. 1, cols. 1068-1072. Ekkart 1977, nr.279.