![Ruben, Zoon van Jacob](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Ruben%2C_Zoon_van_Jacob.jpg)
Jacob de Gheyn II (also Jacques de Gheyn II) (c. 1565 – 29 March 1629) was a Dutch
painter and
engraver, whose work shows the transition from
Northern Mannerism
Northern Mannerism is the form of Mannerism found in the visual arts north of the Alps in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Styles largely derived from Italian Mannerism were found in the Netherlands and elsewhere from around the mid-century, e ...
to Dutch realism over the course of his career.
Biography
![Jacques de Gheyn (II) - Venus and Cupid - c](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Jacques_de_Gheyn_%28II%29_-_Venus_and_Cupid_-_c.1605-1610.jpg)
De Gheyn was born in
Antwerp and received his first training from his father, Jacob de Gheyn I, a
glass painter, engraver, and
draftsman
A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman or drafting technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawings or plans for ...
. In 1585, he moved to
Haarlem, where he studied under
Hendrik Goltzius
Hendrick Goltzius, or Hendrik, (; ; January or February 1558 – 1 January 1617) was a German-born Dutch printmaker, draftsman, and painter. He was the leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period, or Northern Mannerism, lauded for his s ...
for the next five years. He moved again, to
Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wi ...
, in the middle of the 1590s. His work attracted the attention of wealthy sponsors, and his first commission was for an engraving of the
Siege of Geertruidenberg from
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Orange ( nl, Maurits van Oranje; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death in 1625. Before he became Prince o ...
. This event, from 27 March to 24 June 1593, had been more of a demonstration of power by Prince Maurits, than an actual war, and had even attracted tourists. As a publicity stunt, the siege and its subsequent engraving were successful in propagating an image of Prince Maurits as an able general.
Around 1600, de Gheyn abandoned engraving, and focused on painting and
etching
Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...
. Moving to The Hague in 1605, he was employed often by
Dutch royalty, designing a garden in the
Buitenhof for
Prince Maurice of Orange which featured the two first
grottoes in the Netherlands. After Prince Maurice's death in 1625, de Gheyn worked for his brother,
Prince Frederick Henry. De Gheyn painted some of the earliest female
nudes,
vanitas
A ''vanitas'' (Latin for 'vanity') is a symbolic work of art showing the temporality, transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death. Best-kn ...
, and floral
still lifes in
Dutch art
Dutch art describes the history of visual arts in the Netherlands, after the United Provinces separated from Flanders. Earlier painting in the area is covered in Early Netherlandish painting and Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting.
The his ...
. He is credited with creating over 1,500 drawings, including
landscapes and
natural history illustrations. He produced 117 engravings for the military manual ''The Exercise of Armes'' while living in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
.
[Jacques de Gheyn II](_blank)
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jacob_de_Gheyn_II&action=edit§ion=1(2000). ''The Grove Dictionary of Art.'' Retrieved January 26, 2007.
De Gheyn married Eva Stalpaert van der Wiele of
Mechelen in 1595.
His son,
Jacob de Gheyn III, was born in 1596, and grew to become an engraver in his own right, as well as the subject of a portrait by
Rembrandt. De Gheyn died in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
.
File:'Vase of Flowers with a Curtain', oil on panel painting by Jacques de Gheyn II, 1615.jpg, 'Vase of Flowers with a Curtain', 1615.
File:Jacob de Gheyn - Wapenhandelinge 4.jpg, Engraving of musketeer from his ''Wapenhandelinge''["De Wapenhandelinghe van Roers, Musketten ende Spiesen", 1608]
File:Jacob de Gheyn (II) Spanish battle stallion 1603.jpg, Spanish battle stallion 1603.
Image:Gheyn-muisje.png, Drawing in waterpaint by Jacques de Gheyn, ''Four times a mouse''
References
External links
Jacob de Gheyn II at ArtcylopediaWorks by Jacob de Gheyn II in the British MuseumVermeer and The Delft School a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has material on Jacob de Gheyn II
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gheyn, Jacob De, II
Dutch Golden Age painters
Dutch male painters
Dutch Golden Age printmakers
1560s births
1629 deaths
Artists from Antwerp
Glass engravers
Dutch glass artists