Frans Francken I or Frans Francken the Elder (1542,
Herentals
Herentals () is a city in the province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Herentals proper and the towns of Morkhoven and . In 2021, Herentals had a total population of 28.194. The total area is . Saint Waltrude is the patron saint ...
– 1616,
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, ) was a
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
painter who was one of the principal painters in Antwerp during the
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...
.
[Ursula Härting. "Francken."]
Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 10 May. 2014 He is mainly known for his large altarpieces and allegorical paintings. He was a member of the Francken dynasty of painters that played an important role in the Antwerp art scene in the 17th century.
[Frans Francken (I)]
at the Netherlands Institute for Art History
The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...
Life
Francken was born in Herentals as the son of Nicholas Francken, an obscure painter from Herentals. His father later settled in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, and was likely his first teacher. He became a master of the Antwerp
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 1567 and was its deacon in 1587.
[ His younger brothers ]Hieronymus Francken I
Hieronymus Francken I or Hieronymus Francken the Elder (ca. 1540, Herentals–1610, Paris) was a Flemish painter and an important member of the Francken family of artists. After training in Antwerp, he was mainly active in France, where he ...
and Ambrosius Francken I
Ambrosius Francken I (1544–1618) was a Flemish people, Flemish painter known for his religious works and historical allegories painted in a late Mannerist style. He was a prominent member of the Francken family of artists, which played a ve ...
both became successful painters. The early biographer Karel van Mander
Karel van Mander (I) or Carel van Mander I (May 1548 – 2 September 1606) was a Flemish painter, poet, art historian and art theoretician, who established himself in the Dutch Republic in the latter part of his life. He is mainly remembe ...
stated that Frans Francken the Elder was a pupil of the leading Antwerp Mannerist
Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...
painter Frans Floris
Frans Floris, Frans Floris the Elder or Frans Floris de Vriendt (17 April 15191 October 1570) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman, print artist and tapestry designer. He is mainly known for his history paintings, allegorical scenes and portraits.< ...
.[Frans Francken]
in Karel van Mander
Karel van Mander (I) or Carel van Mander I (May 1548 – 2 September 1606) was a Flemish painter, poet, art historian and art theoretician, who established himself in the Dutch Republic in the latter part of his life. He is mainly remembe ...
's ''Schilder-boeck
or is a book written by the Flemish writer and painter Karel van Mander first published in 1604 in Haarlem in the Dutch Republic, where van Mander resided. The book is written in 17th-century Dutch and its title is commonly translated into Engl ...
'', 1604
In 1571 he collaborated with his older brother Hieronymus on a large ''Adoration of the Magi'' triptych (Brussels, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, nl, Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België) are a group of art museums in Brussels, Belgium. They include six museums: the Oldmasters Muse ...
and London, Brompton Oratory) which bears his monogram as well as that of his younger brother Frans. The brothers included self-portraits in profile: Hieronymus on the left side and Frans on the right side of the triptych.[Peeters, Natasja, ''Connecting people : documenting the activities of the Antwerp painter Hieronymus Francken, and other Floris disciples, in Paris after 1566'', in: Les échanges artistiques entre les anciens Pays-Bas et la France, 1482 - 1814 : actes du colloque international organisé par l'Institut de recherches historiques du Septentrion - UMR CNRS 8529 - Université de Lille 3 au Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille les 28-29-30 mai 2008 (2010), 117-128]
Frans Francken married Elisabeth Mertens. At the time of his death in 1619 their surviving children were Thomas, Frans
Frans is an Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish given name, sometimes as a short form of ''François''. One cognate of Frans in English is ''Francis''.
Given name
* Frans van Aarssens (1572–1641), Dutch diplomat ...
, Hieronymus
Hieronymus, in English pronounced or , is the Latin form of the Ancient Greek name (Hierṓnymos), meaning "with a sacred name". It corresponds to the English given name Jerome.
Variants
* Albanian: Jeronimi
* Arabic: جيروم (Jerome)
* Basqu ...
, Ambrosius II, Magdalena and Elisabeth.[
His pupils included his son ]Frans
Frans is an Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish given name, sometimes as a short form of ''François''. One cognate of Frans in English is ''Francis''.
Given name
* Frans van Aarssens (1572–1641), Dutch diplomat ...
, Gortzius Geldorp
Gortzius Geldorp (1553–1618) was a Flemish Renaissance artist who was active in Germany where he distinguished himself through his portrait paintings.
Life
Gortzius Geldorp was born in Leuven. The early Flemish biographer Karel van Mander ...
, Herman van der Mast and Jan de Wael
Jan de Wael or Hans de Wael or Jan Baptist de Wael (1558–1633) was a Flemish painter and engraver who mainly painted religious works and landscapes.
Biography
Jan de Wael was born in an artist family in Antwerp and was a pupil of Frans Franck ...
.[
]
Work
Frans Francken the Elder worked mainly on altar pieces as there was a great demand for such works as a result of the iconoclasm
Iconoclasm (from Ancient Greek, Greek: grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, wikt:κλάω, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών + wi ...
of the Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
s. His masterpiece is a triptych entitled '' Christ among the Scribes'', which was made for the Antwerp Cathedral
The Cathedral of Our Lady ( nl, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Antwerp, Belgium. Today's see of the Diocese of Antwerp started in 1352 and, although the first stage of construction was ended in 1521, has never been ...
in 1587. The figures are rather wooden in the late Mannerist style. However, the heads show the artist’s skill for portraiture. Frans Francken I was also a portrait painter and a few court portraits have been attributed to him.[
His earliest paintings were in the style of Frans Floris but after 1600 he developed his own style which displayed classicising characteristics not unlike those in the work of ]Otto van Veen
Otto van Veen, also known by his Latinized name Otto Venius or Octavius Vaenius (1556 – 6 May 1629), was a painter, draughtsman, and humanist active primarily in Antwerp and Brussels in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for r ...
.[Franks Francken I, in: Walter A. Liedtke, ''Flemish Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art'', Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1984, p. 224]
Frans Francken the Elder painted small-scale cabinet picture
A cabinet painting (or "cabinet picture") is a small painting, typically no larger than two feet (0.6 meters) in either dimension, but often much smaller. The term is especially used for paintings that show full-length figures or landscapes at a s ...
s, a genre in which his sons Frans and Hieronymus
Hieronymus, in English pronounced or , is the Latin form of the Ancient Greek name (Hierṓnymos), meaning "with a sacred name". It corresponds to the English given name Jerome.
Variants
* Albanian: Jeronimi
* Arabic: جيروم (Jerome)
* Basqu ...
would excel.[ He was further known for his allegorical paintings and his son Frans would continue this tradition. An example of an allegorical painting is '' The Battle of Time against Death'' in the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen.
]
Family tree
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francken, Frans 1
1542 births
1616 deaths
Flemish Renaissance painters
Flemish history painters
Painters from Antwerp
Frans
Frans is an Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish given name, sometimes as a short form of ''François''. One cognate of Frans in English is ''Francis''.
Given name
* Frans van Aarssens (1572–1641), Dutch diplomat ...