Hendrick van Balen II or Hendrick van Balen the Younger (1623 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,

– 1661 in Antwerp) 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.

Life

Hendrick van Balen was the son of the painter

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 ...

and Margriet Briers (or 'de Brier'). The family included eleven children of whom three became painters:

Jan van Balen Jan van Balen (21 July 1611 in Antwerp – 14 March 1654) was a Flemish painter known for his Baroque paintings of history and allegorical subjects. He also painted landscapes and genre scenes. Life Jan van Balen was the son of Hendrick v ...

, Gaspard van Balen and Hendrick. His sister Maria married the painter

Theodoor van Thulden Theodoor van Thulden (1606–12 July 1669) was a painter, draughtsman and engraver from 's-Hertogenbosch. He is mainly known for his altarpieces, mythological subjects, allegorical works and portraits. He was active in Antwerp, where he had tra ...

.Carl Van de Velde. "Balen, Hendrik van, I."
Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 8 Jul. 2014 He trained under his brother Jan and the landscape painter

Jan Wildens Jan Wildens (1586 in Antwerp – 16 October 1653 in Antwerp) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman specializing in landscapes. His Realist landscapes show an eye for detail and have a serene character. He was a regular collaborator with Ruben ...

. He became a master in 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 1631-1640. He travelled extensively and resided in

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...

from 1645 to 1648, in Rome in January 1653 and in Genua in November 1653. He was recorded in France until 1661 and returned home to Antwerp shortly before his death. He seems to have had difficulty supporting himself from his art and had to rely on financial support from his brother Jan and brother-in-law Theodoor van Thulden for his living expenses while in Italy. He left substantial debts at the time of his death.Hendrick van Balen (II)
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 ...

Work

Hendrick van Balen the Younger was principally a

history painter History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

. Like his father, he collaborated regularly with

Jan Brueghel the Younger Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Younger (, ; ; 13 September 1601 – 1 September 1678) was a Flemish Baroque painter. He was the son of Jan Brueghel the Elder, and grandson of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, both prominent painters who c ...

.Repose in Egypt
painting by van Balen and Jan Brueghel the Younger, accessed July 2014

References

Links

1623 births 1661 deaths Flemish Baroque painters Painters from Antwerp {{ACArt