Haarlem
Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...
– c. 1560,
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,
) was a
Dutch Renaissance
The Renaissance in the Low Countries was a cultural period in the Northern Renaissance that took place in around the 16th century in the Low Countries (corresponding to modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands and French Flanders).
Culture in the Low C ...
painter, who worked in Antwerp after 1530.
Biography
Mandijn trained in Haarlem. He moved to Antwerp in 1530.Els Vermandere. "Mandijn, Jan." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 20 May. 2014
He was the teacher of
Jan van der Elburcht
Jan van der Elburcht (1500–1571) was an early Dutch painter. His name is derived from Elburg, his town of birth.
Biography
According to Karel van Mander he was called ''cleen Hansken'' (little Hans), and was known for landscapes.
,
Gillis Mostaert
Gillis Mostaert the Elder (27 or 28 November 1528 – 28 December 1598) was a Flemish Renaissance painter and draughtsman active in Antwerp in the second half of the 16th century.
Karel van Mander
Karel van Mander (I) or Carel van Mander I (May 1548 – 2 September 1606) was a Flemish painter, poet, art historian and art theoretician, who established himself in the Dutch Republic in the latter part of his life. He is mainly remembe ...
's ''
Schilder-boeck
or is a book written by the Flemish writer and painter Karel van Mander first published in 1604 in Haarlem in the Dutch Republic, where van Mander resided. The book is written in 17th-century Dutch and its title is commonly translated into Engl ...
'', 1604 He died 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,
.
Work
Only one signed work of Mandijn survives, the ''Temptation of Saint Anthony'' (
Frans Hals Museum
The Frans Hals Museum is a museum located in Haarlem, the Netherlands.
The museum was established in 1862. In 1950, the museum was split in two locations when the collection of modern art was moved to the '' Museum De Hallen'' (since 2018 called ...
in Haarlem). It is similar in style to
Hieronymus Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on oa ...
and that is why he is called a follower of Bosch. This is confirmed by the early biographer
Karel van Mander
Karel van Mander (I) or Carel van Mander I (May 1548 – 2 September 1606) was a Flemish painter, poet, art historian and art theoretician, who established himself in the Dutch Republic in the latter part of his life. He is mainly remembe ...
who wrote that Mandijn was good at painting spooky and funny scenes like Hieronymus Bosch. The 'Temptation' is inspired by Bosch's work, but Mandijn's style was freer and looser and the colours and fantastic creatures are less harmonious. As a result, the whole is less powerful than Bosch. Mandijn's paintings incorporate the elements typical of Bosch such as hybrid demons composed of various parts of insects, amphibians, reptiles and birds.
The stylistic features of Mandijn's style have been identified in a series of Antwerp 'devil pictures' that have been attributed to him, such as the ''Temptation of Saint Christopher'' (
Alte Pinakothek
The Alte Pinakothek (, ''Old Pinakothek'') is an art museum located in the Kunstareal area in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pinak ...
in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
).
A recent study showed that Mandijn was also proficient in the "antique" manner. In 1552, for instance, the painter and his workshop completed a monumental altarpiece in a classicizing style for the Church of Saint Eustace in
Zichem Zichem is a village of the town of Scherpenheuvel-Zichem in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Zichem was an independent municipality until the municipal redistribution of 1977. Zichem is on the list of The most beautiful villages in Flanders ...
. The triptych with scenes from the life of
Saint Eustace
Saint Eustace (Latinized Eustachius or Eustathius, Greek Εὐστάθιος Πλακίδας ''Eustathios Plakidas'') is revered as a Christian martyr.
According to legend, he was martyred in AD 118, at the command of emperor Hadrian.
Eusta ...
is still preserved in the afore-mentioned church.Van Heesch (2018): pp. 109–122