Smits, Caspar — portrait of a boy (possibly John Arundell 3rd Baron Arundell of Trerice) — circa 1680s

Ludowyk, or Caspar Smits, or Smith or Gaspar Smitz (1635 in Zwartewaal – 1707 in Dublin), 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

According to Houbraken he was called Ludowyk Smits, nicknamed Hartkamp, and was the teacher of the painters

Simon Germyn Simon Germyn or Germain(1656–1709), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Germain was born and died in Dordrecht. According to Houbraken he was born the same day as William III of Orange, on November 14, 1650.

and

Garret Morphy Garret Morphy (alternatively Morphey, Morphew, or Murphy) (c. 1655 - c. 1716) was an Irish painter, who is considered to be Ireland's first recorded professional artist. Early life Little is known about Garret Morphy's origins and personal life ...

. Smits came to live in Dordrecht for a few years with the organist Joan Kools, whose wife traded in paintings, when he was 40 in 1675.Ludowyk Smits Biography
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 He started by making "penitent

Maria Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

s", but made his living primarily by painting fruit and flower still lifes in the manner of

Jan Davidsz de Heem Jan Davidsz. de Heem or in-full ''Jan Davidszoon de Heem'', also called ''Johannes de Heem'' or ''Johannes van Antwerpen'' or ''Jan Davidsz de Hem'' (c. 17 April 1606 in Utrecht – before 26 April 1684 in Antwerp), was a still life painter ...

and Willem van Aelst. He used cheap paint that faded quickly, and when his customers complained he said that the paint lasted longer than the money that was paid for them. According to the RKD he was known under the names Lodewyk, Gaspar, and Magdalen Smits, as well as the alias Theodorus Hartkamp.Caspar Smits
in the RKD Abraham Bredius found Dordrechtse documents in the archives there to prove that Houbraken's Ludowyk Smits and

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

's Gaspar Smits were the same person Oud Holland 1915, p. 118 He was a member of 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 Dublin from 1681 to 1688, and according to Walpole he was active in Ireland until his death in 1707.

References

*
A Dictionary of painters, sculptors, architects, and engravers
page 328 (lists Magdalen Smith and Ludowick Smith side by side), by John Gould, Horace Walpole, and George Vertue, London, 1810, on Google books
Theodorus Smits
in the RKD (listed with alias Casparus Smits and states he was a member of the Antwerp guild as a follower of Jan Davidsz. de Heem)
Gaspar Smits/Smith/Smitz
an
Theodorus (Dirk) Smits
on

Artnet Artnet.com is an art market website. It is operated by Artnet Worldwide Corporation, which has headquarters in New York City, in the United States, and is owned by Artnet AG, a German publicly traded company based in Berlin that is listed on t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smits, Ludowyk 1635 births 1707 deaths Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters People from Brielle Painters from Antwerp Painters from Dublin (city)