Jacob van Laethem, also Jacques van Lathem or Laethem, (1470–1528) was a Flemish painter of the

Early Netherlandish painting Early Netherlandish painting, traditionally known as the Flemish Primitives, refers to the work of artists active in the Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance period. It flourished especiall ...

era.

Early life

Jacob Van Lathem was the second son of the miniaturist

Lieven van Lathem Lieven van Lathem (1430–1493), was an Early Netherlandish painter and manuscript illuminator. Career He was born in Ghent.John II of Portugal. In 1493 he joined the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp and in 1494 he was appointed by

Philip the Fair Philip IV (April–June 1268 – 29 November 1314), called Philip the Fair (french: Philippe le Bel), was King of France from 1285 to 1314. By virtue of his marriage with Joan I of Navarre, he was also King of Navarre as Philip I from 1 ...

as "valet de chambre et peintre Monsignor". He was often involved in the decoration of churches and palaces, and thus worked equally well in Ghent, Brussels and

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,

, but also in Spain, where he accompanied his clients on several trips.

Travel

He accompanied Philip the Fair on his trip to Spain from 1502 to 1503, also, from the documentation it appears that his brother Lieven van Lathem the Younger, the goldsmith, was part of the company. In 1506, he accompanied Philip again when traveling to Spain to be recognized as king consort of Castile. After the death of Philip on September 25, 1506 in Burgos, Jacob returned to the Netherlands. There he was in the service of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, and he worked for the court of Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy. From 1517-1520 he accompanied

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...

on his trip to Spain. From 1522 to 1528 he went again with Charles V for the last time to Spain.

Works

Jacob van Laethem seems to have been involved in major projects of ceremonial decoration. In 1497 for instance, he was responsible for the decoration of the church Paleis op de Koudenberg on the occasion of the requiem masses sung in memory of John of Aragon, the Crown Prince of Aragon and Castile. Three years later in 1500, he worked as a decorator at the ceremonies at the death of Albert III, Duke of Saxony, was involved in the decoration of the Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent, then St. Janskerk, for the celebration of the baptism of Charles V on 7 March 1500, and executed a manuscript for Maximilian I. There have been preserved in the

Écaussinnes-Lalaing Castle Écaussinnes-Lalaing Castle (french: Château d'Écaussinnes-Lalaing) is a castle in the village of Écaussinnes-Lalaing in the municipality of Écaussinnes in the province of Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium. History In 1184 Baldwin V, Count of Haina ...

four works that would have been donated by the Spanish court. The subjects of the works are: * ''Meeting of Philip the Fair and Ferdinand II of Aragon in Remesal'' * ''A bullfight in Benavente'' * ''A "juego de cañas" in Valladolid'' * ''The funeral of Philip the Fair in Burgos'' There are a number of his portraits also found in the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the St ...

in Amsterdam, Windsor Castle and the

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 ...

References

* Miguel. A. Zalama, Rafael. D. Casas, Jacob van Laethem, Painter Felipe "The Beautiful" And Carlos V: Details on his work, Bulletin Seminar Studies Art and Archaeology: BSAA, ISSN 0210-9573, Volume 61, 1995, pages. 347-358. * MJ Onghena, The iconography of Philip the Fair, Brussels Royal Academy, 1959, p.26. * Mr. Gachard Collection of Voyages of Rulers of the Netherlands. Vol.I, Brussels, 1876, p.365 * Miguel. A. Zalama, Rafael. D. Casas, Jacob van Laethem, Painter Felipe "The Beautiful" And Carlos V: Details on his work, Bulletin Seminar Studies Art and Archaeology: BSAA, ISSN 0210-9573, Volume 61, 1995, pages. 347-358. p.348 * R.H. Wilensky, Flemish Painters. Historical Survey (1430-1830). Londen 1960, p.591. * MJ Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, vol. IV, Leiden / Brussels 1969, p. 64 * J. Duverger, "court painter Lieven Van Lathem (ca. 1430-1493)," Yearbook of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp 1969, p. 97 (inclusion of Jacob van Lathem at Lily Brothers in Brussels, about 1499) * R. van Schoute and B. Patoul (ed.), The Flemish Primitives, Leuven 1994, p. 547 * A. H. van Buren, "Van Lathem's Costumes', in: J. Chapuis (ed.) Invention: Northern Renaissance Studies in Honor of Molly Faries, Turnhout 2008, p. 94-103 {{DEFAULTSORT:Laethem, Jacob van 1470 births 1528 deaths Early Netherlandish painters Van Laethem Flemish Renaissance painters