The Guild of Romanists or Confrérie van romanisten was a society which was active 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,

from the late 16th to the late 18th century. Its membership was made up of notables and

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

s from Antwerp who had visited

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. It offered artists access to the networks of Antwerp's urban elites.Rengenier C. Rittersma, ''Luxury in the Low Countries: Miscellaneous Reflections on Netherlandish Material Culture, 1500 to the Present'', Asp / Vubpress / Upa, 2010, p. 111

History

The Guild was established in 1572 in Antwerp's Cathedral of Our Lady under the patronage of

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

and St. Peter and was therefore also known as the 'Broederschap van de HH. Petrus en Paulus' (Confrérie of St. Peter and Paul). It was a condition of membership to have visited

. The condition of having visited Rome to enjoy membership appears to have been strictly enforced and art historians accept membership of the Guild as evidence of visits to Rome that are (in the case of Fyt etc.) otherwise undocumented.Bert Timmermans. ''Patronen van patronage in het zeventiende-eeuwse Antwerpen: een elite als actor binnen een kunstwereld'', Amsterdam University Press, Antwerp, 2008, pp. 243-245 The membership included canons, prosperous merchants, members of the local nobility, aldermen and leading artists. Total membership was capped at 25 members, which reinforced the exclusive character of the society. Deans of the Guild were appointed annually. Rubens apostel paulus grt

After 1680 the Guild went into decline. The Guild moved in 1681 for financial reasons to Antwerp's St George's Church and remained dormant for a few decades. It was revived in 1716 when the 'true and approved' relics of St. Peter and Paul were delivered to St George's Church by a Roman cardinal. The Guild was finally abolished in 1785 under the rule of the Emperor

Joseph II of Austria Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...

. A Magistrate Book (1576), the "LIBER CONFRATERNITATIS SANCTORUM PETRI ET PAULI EN ROMA' is kept in the State Archives of Belgium.

Significance

The diversity of the membership offered artists a good opportunity to meet with potential patrons. A similar social mediation role was played by the chambers of rhetoric and in particular the

Violieren The Violieren (wallflower or gillyflower) was a chamber of rhetoric that dates back to the 15th century in Antwerp, when it was a social drama society with close links to the Guild of Saint Luke.A. A. Keersmaekers, ''Geschiedenis van de Antwerpse R ...

, which was the chamber of rhetoric of the Antwerp

Guild of Saint 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 Evangelist Luke, the patron saint of artists, who was ide ...

. Membership assisted artists further in raising their profile and prestige in society at large as well as among their fellow artists since only renowned artists were invited to join. The non-artist members relied on membership of the Guild to consolidate their social standing since many of the artist members enjoyed an international reputation. The social role of the Guild was facilitated through the institution of an annual gastronomic dinner (the '(h)eerlyck maeltyt'), with excellent wines and copious servings of food. The dinner was hosted at different locations. The Guild further allowed "'art-pilgrims' to keep themselves up to date on news from Rome, whether it be on new painters or paintings, or newly discovered antiquities".

Notable members

Maerten de Vos Maerten de Vos, Maerten de Vos the Elder or Marten de Vos (1532 – 4 December 1603)Maerten de Vos
at the

- Co-founder *

Jan Brueghel the Elder Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Elder (, ; ; 1568 – 13 January 1625) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He was the son of the eminent Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. A close friend and frequent collabora ...

,1599Gregory Martin, ''The Flemish School, 1600-1900'', National Gallery Catalogues'', 1970, National Gallery, London, *

Wenceslas Cobergher Wenceslas Cobergher (1560 – 23 November 1634), sometimes called Wenzel Coebergher, was a Flemish Renaissance architect, engineer, painter, antiquarian, numismatist and economist. Faded somewhat into the background as a painter, he is chiefly ...

, 1605 *

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 ...

, Dean 1606Grove Art online, accessed May 12, 2007 *

Abraham Janssens Abraham Janssens I, Abraham Janssen I or Abraham Janssens van Nuyssen (1575–1632) was a Flemish painter, who is known principally for his large religious and mythological works, which show the influence of Caravaggio. He was the leading hist ...

, 1610 or 1601 *

Hendrick van Balen Hendrick van Balen or Hendrick van Balen I (c. 1573–1575 in Antwerp – 17 July 1632 in Antwerp) was a Flemish Baroque painter and stained glass designer. Hendrick van Balen specialised in small cabinet pictures often painted on a copper ...

, Dean 1613 *

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

, 1609, Dean 1613-14 *

Frans Snyders Frans Snyders or Frans Snijders (11 November 1579, Antwerp – 19 August 1657, Antwerp) was a Flemish painter of animals, hunting scenes, market scenes and still lifes. He was one of the earliest specialist animaliers and he is credited with ...

, 1619, Dean 1629Ingamells, John, ''The Wallace Collection, Catalogue of Pictures, Vol IV, Dutch and Flemish'', Wallace Collection, 1992, *

Jan Fyt Jan Fijt or Johannes Fijt (or Fyt) (19 August 1609 – 11 September 1661) was a Flemish Baroque painter, draughtsman and etcher. One of the leading animaliers of the 17th century, he was known for his refined depictions of animals and his lush ...

, 1650, Dean 1652 *

Abraham Godijn Abraham Godijn or Abraham Godyn (alternative spellings of family name: Goddijn and Abraham Goddyn) (1655/56 – after 1724) was a Flemish painter who, after a stay in Italy, worked for a time as a court painter in Prague where he produced magnifice ...

, joined in 1716 and was Dean in 1723Abraham Godijn
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 ...

References

{{Reflist History of Antwerp * Defunct clubs and societies