Jan-Christian Hansche or Hanssche 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; ...

artist, possibly of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

origin, who worked as a

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

ist in the

Southern Netherlands The Southern Netherlands, also called the Catholic Netherlands, were the parts of the Low Countries belonging to the Holy Roman Empire which were at first largely controlled by Habsburg Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1556–1714) and later by the A ...

, and also in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

, in the second half of the 17th century. In 1672 he made the

decoration of the library of Park Abbey near

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The stucco relief represents the church fathers and the evangelists as well as scenes from the life of

Saint Norbert Norbert of Xanten, O. Praem (c. 1075 – 6 June 1134) (Xanten-Magdeburg), also known as Norbert Gennep, was a bishop of the Catholic Church, founder of the Premonstratensian order of canons regular, and is venerated as a saint. Norbert was c ...

. In the refectory of the same abbey he decorated the ceiling with seven biblical scenes (1679), signing his work "jan christiaen hansche". He also worked in several houses and monasteries in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

, in in

Machelen Machelen () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Diegem and Machelen proper. On 1 January 2006 Machelen had a total population of 12,500. The total area is 11.59 km2 w ...

and in

Château de Modave Front facade The Château of Modave (french: Château de Modave), also known as the Château des Comtes de Marchin (''Château of the Counts of Marchin'') is a château near the village of Modave in Liège Province, Wallonia, Belgium. Histor ...

. A magnificent example of his work are the decorations for

Modave Castle Modave (; wa, Modåve) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Modave had a total population of 3,722. The total area is 40.37 km² which gives a population density of 92 inhabitants pe ...

. The grand vestibule of this castle is decorated with a

genealogical tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations of ...

of the house of the Counts of

Marchin Marchin (; wa, Mårcin) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Marchin had a total population of 5,114. The total area is 30.00 km² which gives a population density of 170 inhabitant ...

, including the coats of arms of the members of the family but also reliefs depicting some ancestors as knights in full armour on their horses. A series of rooms on the ground floor is decorated with scenes from the life of

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

, while the apartment on the first floor follows the theme of the four seasons.

Sources

*Anon. ''Hansche (Hanssche), Jan Christiaen'' in: ''Thieme-Becker.Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart'', vol. XV, Leipzig, 1922: 599. *Vrancken, Michel, 1971: ''De stucplafonds van Jan Christiaan Hansche (1655–1685)'' (master's thesis),

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

*Van Vaeck, M., 1997: ''Beelden van omhoog, Hansches 17de-eeuwse plafonddecoraties in stucwerk in de kastelen van Horst, Modave en Beaulieu en in het Gentse Brouwershuis'' in: ''Monumenten en Landschappen'', XVI, 1997, 5: 21–53.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansche, Jan Flemish Baroque sculptors 17th-century Flemish sculptors