Jan de Beijer (24 September 1703 – c. 1780), also given as Jan de Beyer, was a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

draughtsman and painter known for this drawings of towns and buildings in the present-day countries of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. In total, he produced some 1500 drawings, over 600 of which were reproduced as

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

s by other artists."Jan de Beijer", Kastelenbeeldbank.nl
(Dutch) De Beijer travelled through the Netherlands in summertime to draw views of cities and towns as well as castles and other buildings. In the wintertime, he would retire to his home to produce colour drawings based on his sketches in the field, as well as drawings that could be used by other artists to produce engravings. Drawings by Jan de Beijer and engravings based on his work can be found in numerous museums, archives, and private collections. In Amsterdam, the

Joods Historisch Museum The (; en, Jewish Museum), part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter, is a museum in Amsterdam dedicated to Jewish history, culture and religion, in the Netherlands and worldwide. It is the only museum in the Netherlands dedicated to Jewish history. ...

has a 1765 drawing of the Grote Synagoge and Nieuwe Synagoge, two of the synagogues making up the complex that now houses the museum. Also, the

Amsterdam Museum The Amsterdam Museum, known until 2010 as the Amsterdam Historical Museum, is an Amsterdam-based museum dedicated to the city's past and present. Due to the renovation of its main location, the museum is temporarily located in the building the Ams ...

has a drawing of the now-demolished tower Haringpakkerstoren. In 1999, the Historisch Museum Arnhem in

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

devoted an exhibition to work by Jan de Beijer.

Life

Jan de Beijer was born in Switzerland to Johan Jacob de Beijer (1654–1719) and his wife Maria Barbara Huisch. His father was a Dutch officer who was in Switzerland to hire mercenaries for the army of the Dutch Republic. At the age of six, he moved with his parents to Emmerich on the Dutch-German border."Persönlichkeiten: Jan de Beijer (Aarau 1703 - 1775 od. 1780 in Emmerich)", Heimatkleve.de
(German) Around 1722 he moved to Amsterdam to study with Cornelis Pronk, who was considered the most important topographical draughtsman of his time. De Beijer lived for some years in

Vierlingsbeek Vierlingsbeek () is a village in the former municipality of Boxmeer in North Brabant province of the Netherlands. Until it was included in Boxmeer in 1998, it was a municipality of its own. Since 2022 it has been part of the new municipality of Lan ...

, near

Boxmeer Boxmeer () is a town and former municipality in upper southeastern Netherlands. Boxmeer as a municipality incorporated the former municipality of Beugen en Rijkevoort and that of Vierlingsbeek. In Overloon is the Overloon War Museum. Boxmeer, ...

. Sometime after 1750 he returned to Amsterdam, where he received further instruction from Jan Maurits Quinkhard who, like Pronk, had been a pupil of Arnold Boonen. In Amsterdam, he founded a draughtsmen's society. He was active as an artist until 1769 and then retired to a small town near

Kleve Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléveris; la, Clivia; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century ...

on the Dutch-German border, where he died. According to some sources he died on 15 February 1780 in Emmerich, although

Doesburg Doesburg () is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Gelderland. Doesburg received city rights in 1237 and had a population of in . The city is situated on the right bank of river IJssel, at the confluence of ...

is also mentioned as his place of death.A.J. van der Aa, ''Biographisch woordenboek der Nederlanden''.Vol. 2, pp. 271-272. J.J. van Brederode, Haarlem 1854
(Dutch) File:Vredenburg Utrecht ca 1760 author J de Beijer.jpg, ''Het Vredenburg in Utrecht'', 1760 File:Jan de Beijer 001.jpg, ''Torensluis en Jan Rodenpoortstoren in Amsterdam'', 1760-1767 File:J. de Beijer Burgerweeshuis Amsterdam.jpg, ''Het Burgerweeshuis in Amsterdam'', 1770. File:J. de Beijer Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal Amsterdam.jpg, ''Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal in Amsterdam'', 1775.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beijer, Jan De 1705 births 1780s deaths People from Aarau 18th-century Dutch painters 18th-century Dutch male artists Dutch male painters Painters from Amsterdam Dutch draughtsmen