Jan Willems (''fl'' 15201547/1548) was a Flemish painter of religious works as well as a polychromer and a designer of large figures used in

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

s.Marjan Debaene, ''Rondom Jan Rombouts. Inleidende beschouwingen over de Leuvense Renaissance'', in: Yvette Bruijnen Joost M. A. Caen Simone Cagno Marjan Debaene Valentine Henderiks Koen Janssens Joris Van Grieken, ''Getekend, Jan R. Een Renaissancemeester Herontdekt Jan Rombouts'', Mercatorfonds, Brussel M - Museum Leuven, 2012, pp. 9-23 He was the city painter of

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 ...

where he spent his entire known career.Jan Willems
at the

Netherlands Institute for Art History The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...

Life

Not much is known about the life of Jan Willems. He was the son of the painter Jan Willems the Elder. His father was likely his teacher. His brother Peter was also a painter. In 15th-16th century Leuven there were a few of these artists' families such as the families Bouts, Willems and Rombouts. The craft was often passed on from father to son: sons learned the trade in the workshop of the father, stayed on as a servant or master-servant and took over the workshop after the death of their father. Artist families often intermarried in that era. Jan Willems himself married Marie Rombouts, the daughter of the city painter

Jan Rombouts the Elder Jan Rombouts the Elder, Jan Rombouts (I) (c. 1480 in Leuven – 1535 in Leuven), was a Flemish Renaissance painter, glass painter, draftsman, printmaker and glass designer. The subjects of his work are stories from the Old and New Testament a ...

, who himself was related to the famous glass painter Nicolaas Rombouts. Willems was certainly already active in 1520, as the earliest document stating his name was dated to that year. The document relates to a payment made to the artist for the polychroming of a stone statue. With his brother-in-law Jan Rombouts the Younger, Jan Willems collaborated on at least one, now lost, ensemble, the Saint Severinus altarpiece, which had been commissioned by the Weavers' Guild for the St. Peter's Church in Leuven. Willems was appointed the city painter of Leuven, a post he held from 1527 to 1548.Jan Willems, ''Laatste Avondmaal''
at Balat Kikirpa In that capacity he received a number of commissions from the city, especially in relation to the decorations for the annual

Ommegang Ommegang or Ommeganck (Dutch: "walk around" (the church, village or city), ) is the generic name for various medieval pageants celebrated in the Low Countries (areas that are now within Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern France). Ommegang o ...

, as well as for other decorative projects of a temporary nature. He also received a number of commissions from the local chambers of rhetoric. The artist was paid by the city for his assistance in the organisation of a passion play by the chamber of rhetoric of De Rozelieren. The nature of his assistance is not specified but likely involved the provision of decorations for the play. The chamber of rhetoric De Kersouwe paid him in 1547 for the polychroming of the statue of Saint Margaret. With the help of assistants, Willems created the figure of the giant Megera for its first appearance in the

of Leuven of 1532. He received the commission to restore the painting of the ''Last Judgment'' by

Dieric Bouts Dieric Bouts (born c. 1415 – 6 May 1475) was an Early Netherlandish painter. Bouts may have studied under Rogier van der Weyden, and his work was influenced by van der Weyden and Jan van Eyck. He worked in Leuven from 1457 (or possibly earlier) ...

in the Leuven town hall. Other works by his hand have not been preserved. In addition to his work as a city painter, Willems carried out various assignments for the clergy. For the

Saint Quentin's Church The Saint Quentin's Church or Sint-Kwintenskerk (in Dutch (language), Dutch) is a Roman Catholic church located at the Naamsestraat in Leuven, Belgium. Its exterior is mainly Gothic architecture, Gothic with a Baroque entrance portal. The interior ...

in Leuven, Jan Willems painted the predella and the side panels of a sculpted retable of Saint Quentin, that had been commissioned in 1538 from the Leuven sculptor Joris Asselijns. Willems was also tasked with the polychroming of the sculpture. He was paid in 1534 for a number of painted panels for the

Park Abbey Park Abbey ( nl, Abdij van Park; also Parc Abbey) is a Premonstratensian abbey in Belgium, at Heverlee just south of Leuven, in Flemish Brabant. The '' Annales Parchenses'' were written here in the 12th century. History The abbey was founded in ...

Heverlee Heverlee () is a town in Belgium. It is a borough of the city of Leuven. Heverlee is bordered by Herent, Bertem, Oud Heverlee and several other municipalities that are part of Leuven (including Leuven proper and Kessel-Lo). The town is the locati ...

. Willems painted the blazons for the funeral of Ambrosius van Engelen, abbot of the Park Abbey, who died in 1543. Jan Willems died between 3 December 1547 and 14 August 1548.

Work

The only known extant work by Jan Willems is the ''Last supper'' dated 1524–25. This large panel painting of 94 cm high by 180 cm wide is now kept in the

in Leuven. The painting was donated to the church around 1557 as a legacy by Adriaan van Blehem, one of the most important benefactors of Saint Quentin's Church. The work reflects the growing influence of Renaissance ideas on painters in Leuven.Colum Hourihane, ''The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture'', Volume 1, OUP USA, 2012, p. 57 His style is in line with that of Antwerp mannerists such as the

Master of 1518 The Master of 1518 is a Flemish painter belonging to the stylistic school of Antwerp Mannerism. A group of unsigned paintings is attributed to this artist on stylistic grounds, and his name is derived from the date inscribed on the painted wings ...

and

Pieter Coecke van Aelst Pieter Coecke van Aelst or Pieter Coecke van Aelst the Elder ( Aalst, 14 August 1502 – Brussels, 6 December 1550) was a Flemish painter, sculptor, architect, author and designer of woodcuts, goldsmith's work, stained glass and tapestries.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Willems, Jan Flemish history painters Artists from Leuven 16th-century Flemish painters