Jan van Huysum (or Jan van Huijsum) (15 April 1682 – 8 February 1749) is the most notable member of the Van Huysum family of artists working in

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and Dutch art, ...

of the 17th and 18th centuries; “by common consent, Jan van Huysum has been held to be the best painter of flowers.” Trained in decoration from a young age, he “gradually developed an execution of details of the utmost beauty and finish” creating “wonderful flower pieces whereon drops of water and crawling ants could be seen without a magnifying glass.”

Life and work

Jan van Huysum - portrait by Arnold Boonen

Jan was the son of the painter

Justus van Huysum Justus van Huysum, also spelled Huijsum, (July 8, 1659 in Amsterdam – April 23, 1716 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Justus Van Huysum is the son of the decorative painter Jan van Huysum the Elder, who moved to Ams ...

and his first wife Margrietje Schouten and the older brother of

Jacob van Huysum Jacob van Huysum (1688 – 1740) was an 18th-century botanical painter from the northern Netherlands who moved to England in 1721. Van Huysum was baptized 25 February 1688 in Amsterdam.Justus van Huysum the Younger Justus van Huysum II, sometimes styled Justus II van Huysum or Justus van Huysum the Younger (1684–1706) was a member of the van Huysum Dutch painting family. He painted “battle-pieces with extraordinary spirit and facility.” He died relat ...

. Jan’s much younger half-brother

Michiel van Huysum Michiel is a Dutch masculine given name equivalent to Michael and a Venetian surname. Given name *Michiel Andrieszoon (died 1684), Dutch pirate *Michiel Bartman (born 1967), Dutch rower *Michiel Borstlap (born 1966), Dutch pianist and composer ...

was also a flower painter. His grandfather Jan van Huysum the Elder is said to have been “expeditious in decorating doorways, screens and vases.” Van Huysum primarily lived and worked in the city of Amsterdam. Jan van Huysum and his wife Elisabeth Takens (1680–1751) had 12 children together but only three outlived their parents. Jan van Huysum's daughter, Francina Margaretha van Huysum, was also a flower painter and may have assisted her father in his work. Margareta Haverman was his student until she moved to Paris. Van Huysum was somewhat secretive about his process and worked separately from the rest of his family. One of the few sources of biography for Van Huysum is art dealer

Christiaan Josi Christiaan Josi (1768-1828) was a Dutch engraver and art dealer. Josi came from Utrecht, and studied under John Raphael Smith in London. He inherited Cornelis Ploos van Amstel's collections and catalogued his Rembrandt etchings. Josi's engrav ...

. Another is his contemporary Johan von Gool. Jan Van Huysum “holds the highest place among painters of fruit and flowers.” His flower-arrangement still lifes, in a style of the period collectively called ''

vanitas A ''vanitas'' (Latin for 'vanity') is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death. Best-known are ''van ...

'' and/or ''

Pronkstilleven ''Pronkstilleven'' (Dutch for 'ostentatious', 'ornate' or 'sumptuous' still life) is a style of ornate still life painting, which was developed in the 1640s in Antwerp from where it spread quickly to the Dutch Republic. Development Flemish art ...

'', are said to possess “an unerring elegance of composition, which enabled him to avoid the imbalance, the overcomposition, that others risked.” His flower pictures produced after 1720 “on light or yellow grounds are superior to his earlier works, which are on dark ones.” He often painted on oak and copper panels rather than canvas. He was successful in his own time, with his pictures sought “by princes and crowned heads—his work sometimes sold for four to five times as much as work by his great contemporary

Rembrandt van Rijn Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

—and “time has increased, rather than diminished” the value of his paintings. Buyers of note during van Huysum's lifetime included Prince William of Hesse, and Sir

Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Leader ...

, a British Prime Minister. His contemporary rival was

Rachel Ruysch Rachel Ruysch (3 June 1664 – 12 October 1750) was a Dutch still-life painter from the Northern Netherlands. She specialized in flowers, inventing her own style and achieving international fame in her lifetime. Due to a long and successful care ...

. The earlier Dutch artist Jan David de Heem anticipated van Huysum; “if de Heem, by the harmony of his warm golden color, be called the

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...

of flowers and fruits, Jan van Huysum’s bright and sunny treatment entitles him to the name of the Corregio of the same branch of art”. Fruit and flower artists whose work is described as inspired by or analogous to that of Jan van Huysum:

Jacob van Huysum Jacob van Huysum (1688 – 1740) was an 18th-century botanical painter from the northern Netherlands who moved to England in 1721. Van Huysum was baptized 25 February 1688 in Amsterdam.Justus van Huysum Justus van Huysum, also spelled Huijsum, (July 8, 1659 in Amsterdam – April 23, 1716 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Justus Van Huysum is the son of the decorative painter Jan van Huysum the Elder, who moved to Ams ...

(his father),

Pieter Faes Pieter Faes or Peeter Faes (14 July 1750 – 22 December 1814) was a Flemish painter of still lifes of flowers and fruit. He worked in a decorative style close to that of Jan van Huysum.Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), Walter A. Li ...

Wybrand Hendriks Wybrand Hendriks (June 24, 1744, Amsterdam – January 28, 1831, Haarlem) was a Dutch painter, primarily known for his portraits, and the concierge of the Teylers Museum. Biography Wybrand Hendriks was born in a sculptor family, as the son of ...

, Paul Theodore van Brussel,

Jacobus Linthorst Jacobus Linthorst (1745 – 7 August 1815) was a painter from the Northern Netherlands The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: '' ...

Jan van Os Jan van Os (23 February 1744 – 7 February 1808) was a Dutch painter and a member of the renowned Van Os family of artists. Biography Van Os was born in Middelharnis. He was taught by Aert Schouman in The Hague, where he would spend the rest o ...

George Jacob Jan van Os Georgius Jacobus Johannes van Os (20 November 1782 The Hague – 11 July 1861 Paris), was a 19th-century painter from the Northern Netherlands. Biography According to the RKD he was a son and pupil of the painters Jan van Os and Susanna de la ...

(son of preceding),

Gerard van Spaendonck Gerard van Spaendonck (22 March 1746 – 11 May 1822) was a Dutch painter. Life Gerard was born in Tilburg, an older brother of Cornelis van Spaendonck (1756–1840), who was also an accomplished artist. In the 1760s he studied with decorative p ...

, Cornelius van Spaendonck (brother of preceding),

Coenraet Roepel Coenraet Roepel (1678, The Hague – 1748, The Hague), was an 18th-century fruit and flower still life painter from the Northern Netherlands. Biography According to Jan van Gool he was an avid gardener and his love of flowers made him bec ...

, Johannes de Bosch, and

John Flaxman John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several yea ...

Landscapes

One art historian called van Huysum’s landscapes (as opposed to his still lifes) “rather unfortunate.” Half of his pictures in public galleries are

landscapes A landscape is the visible features of an area of Terrestrial ecoregion, land, its landforms, and how they integrate with Nature, natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionar ...

, views of imaginary lakes and harbours with impossible ruins and classic edifices, and woods of tall and motionless trees-the whole very glossy and smooth, and entirely lifeless. The earliest dated work of this kind is that of 1717, in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, a grove with maidens culling flowers near a tomb, ruins of a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

, and a distant palace on the shores of a lake bounded by mountains. According to one of 19th century art historian, “His small andscapesare tenderly touched, and are sufficiently pleasing with their minuteness of detail, but those of a larger size are weak and ineffective.”

Access and collections

Van Huysum’s paintings are in the collections of the

in Paris, 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, the

Mauritshuis The Mauritshuis (; en, Maurice House) is an art museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The museum houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings which consists of 854 objects, mostly Dutch Golden Age paintings. The collection contains works by Johannes Vermeer ...

of The Hague, the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

of London, The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, as well as in Berlin, Munich, Hanover, Dresden, Brunschwige, Vienna, Carlsruhe, Boston, Copenhagen, the

Dulwich Picture Gallery Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, South London, which opened to the public in 1817. It was designed by Regency architect Sir John Soane using an innovative and influential method of illumination. Dulwich is the oldest publi ...

, and

the Getty ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

in the United States. Circa 1911: Some of the finest of van Huysum's fruit and flower pieces were in English private collections: those of 1723 in the

Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere, (1 January 1800 – 18 February 1857), known as Lord Francis Leveson-Gower until 1833, was a British politician, writer, traveller and patron of the arts. Ellesmere Island, a major island (10th in size am ...

's gallery; others of 1730–1732 in the collections of

Henry Hope Henry Hope (1735–1811) was an Amsterdam merchant banker born in Braintree, Massachusetts. He emigrated to the Netherlands to join the family business Hope & Co. at a young age. From 1779, Henry became the manager of Hope & Co. and he participa ...

of Cavendish Square ( Hope & Co. banking money), and Francis Baring, 5th Baron Ashburton and/or

Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook, (22 January 182615 November 1904) was a British Liberal statesman. Gladstone appointed him Viceroy of India 1872–1876. His major accomplishments came as an energetic reformer who was dedicated to ...

(both

Barings Bank Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London, and one of England's List of oldest banks in continuous operation, oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 ...

money).

Gallery

File:Jan van Huysum (Dutch - Vase of Flowers - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Vase of Flowers'', 1722 File:Terracotta Vase with Flowers and Fruits - Jan van Huijsum - Google Cultural Institute.jpg, Terracotta Vase with Flowers and Fruits File:Jan van Huysum 001.jpg, Flowers and Fruits File:Jan van Huysum 002.jpg, Flowers, Fruits and Insects File:Bouquet of Flowers in an Urn2.jpg, "Bouquet of Flowers in an Urn", 1724

The stolen ''Vase of Flowers''

''The Vase of Flowers'' is a painting by van Huysum that was stolen from Italy by the retreating

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

in 1943. On July 19, 2019, German minister of foreign affairs

Heiko Maas Heiko Josef Maas (; born 19 September 1966) is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who served as the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs (2018–2021) and as the Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protectio ...

personally handed the picture to his Italian counterpart

Enzo Moavero Milanesi Enzo Moavero Milanesi (born 17 August 1954) is an Italian independent politician and law professor who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the first Cabinet of Giuseppe Conte from 1 June 2018 to 5 September 2019. He was also the Chairman- ...

in Florence and it was restored to the collection of the

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...

References

External links

* Includes biography and two pictures. * Includes brief biography and one picture. * Links to entries in numerous online museums and public art galleries.
Dutch and Flemish paintings from the Hermitage
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Huysum (cat. no. 14) {{DEFAULTSORT:Huysum, Jan Van 1682 births 1749 deaths 18th-century Dutch painters 18th-century Dutch male artists Dutch male painters Dutch landscape painters Dutch still life painters Flower artists Painters from Amsterdam Huysum family of painters