5673095 The Corpses of the De Witt Brothers, c.1672-75 (oil on canvas) by Baen, Jan de (1633-1702); 69.5x56 cm; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (add.info.: attributed to Jan de Baen The nude, flayed corpses of Johan and Cornelis de Witt on public display in the Groene Zoodje, the execution ground on the Vijverberg in the middle of The Hague fter they were assassinated on 20th August 1672 by their political opponents. Johan had been the most powerful man in the Republic for twenty years, supported by his brother, but they were held responsible for everything that went wrong in the year 1672, known as the ???ear of Disaster??).