Abraham Begeyn (c. 1637 Leiden – 11 June 1697 Berlin), was a

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and Dutch art, ...

painter.

Biography

Begeyn was born in

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

. Though perhaps known mostly for his ''Italianate'' landscapes and cattle in the manner of

Nicolaes Pietersz Berchem Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem (1 October 1620 – 18 February 1683) was a highly esteemed and prolific Dutch Golden Age painter of pastoral landscapes, populated with mythological or biblical figures, but also of a number of allegories and genre ...

, Begyn was a highly skilled painter active in many genres, who traveled widely. According to the RKD, Begeyn's earliest known work is from 1653, though he was first accepted into the

Guild of St. Luke The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Four Evangelists, Evangelist Saint Luke, Luke, the patron sa ...

in Leiden in 1655. He stopped paying dues in 1667, because he set off for a trip to Italy. He is registered in Rome and Naples from 1659–1660. In the rampjaar or disaster year, of 1672, he is registered in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, and after that he lived in London, where he painted at Ham House, Surrey, together with

Willem van de Velde the Younger Willem van de Velde the Younger (18 December 1633 (baptised)6 April 1707) was a Dutch Republic, Dutch marine painter, the son of Willem van de Velde the Elder, who also specialised in maritime art. His brother, Adriaen van de Velde, was a landsc ...

(1633–1707) and

Dirck van Bergen Dirck van Bergen (1645, Haarlem – c. 1700, Haarlem) was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. Biography According to Houbraken he was a pupil of Adriaen van de Velde, who copied his style very well.the Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

where two years later he became a member of the painters' confraternity 'Pictura'. He moved to Berlin in 1688, where he became Prussian

court painter A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or princely family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Painters were the most common, but the cour ...

.Abraham Jansz. Begeyn
in the RKD There his works were greatly prized, and, according to

Houbraken Houbraken is a Dutch-language surname. People with this surname include: *Antonina Houbraken Antonina Houbraken (30 May 1686 – December 1736) was an 18th-century Dutch draughtswoman who is known for her many topographical drawings of Dutc ...

, he was principal painter to Frederick III, the

elector of Brandenburg This article lists the Margraves and Electors of Brandenburg during the period of time that Brandenburg was a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire. The Mark, or ''March'', of Brandenburg was one of the primary constituent states of the Hol ...

, afterwards king of

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

. He died of a heart attack when

Augustinus Terwesten Augustinus Terwesten or Augustinus Terwesten the Elder (4 May 1649 in The Hague – 21 January 1711 in Berlin) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, printmaker and art educator. He specialized in portraits, architectural and historical themes. He w ...

came to visit his studio, accompanied by two other painters.Death of Abraham Begyn
in ''De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen'' (1718) by

Arnold Houbraken Arnold Houbraken (28 March 1660 – 14 October 1719) was a Dutch painter and writer from Dordrecht, now remembered mainly as a biographer of Dutch Golden Age painters. Life Houbraken was sent first to learn ''threadtwisting'' (Twyndraat) fr ...

, courtesy of the

Digital library for Dutch literature The Digital Library for Dutch Literature (Dutch: Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren or DBNL) is a website (showing the abbreviation as dbnl) about Dutch language and Dutch literature. It contains thousands of literary texts, second ...

It is highly possible that he felt put under great pressure by Terwesten to perform, since Terwesten had also become court painter in Berlin and had also started an academy there, which opened in 1697. Begeyn died in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. In many collections in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, the pictures of Begeyn are placed amongst those of the most admired masters. His pencilling is light and free, and his colouring very agreeable. Many of his works are landscapes like ''

Peasants with Cattle by a Ruin ''Peasants with Cattle by a Ruin'' is a 1650–1697 painting by Abraham Begeyn, now in the National Gallery, London. It shows a rural scene with a capriccio-style ruin. A block of stone (bottom right) bears a monogram which probably refers to Ni ...

'', with views of rivers, ruins, and pieces of architecture, enriched with figures and a variety of animals. He is also known for his still life paintings of flowers and hunting paraphernalia.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Begeyn, Abraham 1630s births 1697 deaths Artists from Leiden Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters Painters from Leiden Court painters Dutch landscape painters Dutch still life painters