In 1971, a unique 18th-century portrait of a restorer surfaced. The man was shown to be Jan van Dijk (c.1690-1769), who worked as a restorer for the City of Amsterdam and the Court of the Stadtholder. The question is raised as to the identity of this man, who had himself depicted as a picture cleaner, an activity that had very little social status. Extensive biographical research revealed that Jan van Dijk was primarily engaged in picture cleaning during the last 23 years of his life. He criticized his colleagues for overcleaning paintings. Although Jan van Dijk was a painter as well, the large scale of his restoration activities and his true love and care for works of art explain his choice to be portrayed as a cleaner of paintings.