Aert Schouman (Dordrecht 1710-1792 The Hague)

Schouman's inscription reveals that this monument was commissioned by Jan van Hoogstraaten (1741-1801) for the grave of Emanuel Bemont (1717-1784) ('voor den Hr. Jv Hoogstraeten. dienende voor het graf van de wele agtbaar D Ev Bemont'). A merchant from The Hague, van Hoogstraten was the founder and director of the poetry society 'Kunstliefde spaart géén vlijt', of which Schouman was also a member. Little is known about Bemont, but he lived in The Hague and he might have known van Hoogstraten through their mutual interest in poetry.