Johannes Ykens (

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,

, 19 December 1613 – after 1680), was a Flemish Baroque painter and wood sculptor. He is known for his Christian religious scene, history paintings and portraits and his sculptures for churches.Johannes Ykens
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 ...

Frans Jozef Peter Van den Branden, ''Geschiedenis der Antwerpsche schilderschool'', Antwerpen, 1883, pp. 1113-1115

Life

Johannes Ykens was the son of sculptor Melchior Ykens. He initially studied sculpture with his father and remained as an assistant in his father studio. He became a member of the Antwerp

Guild of St. Luke The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Four Evangelists, Evangelist Saint Luke, Luke, the patron sa ...

in 1639 as ''wijnmeester'', meaning he was the son of a member. He married first with Livina Laureyssens on 11 August 1641. When his wife died in October 1644, he remarried with Barbara van Brekevelt on 13 January 1646. He had three children with his second wife: Catarina Ykens (II) (baptized on 24 February 1659) and

Peter Ykens Peter Ykens (1648 – 1695), was a Flemish painter mainly known for his history paintings and portraits. He regularly collaborated with specialist still painters and landscape artists for whose works he provided the staffage.< ...

(baptised on 30 January 1648) who both became painters. It is only after his second marriage that Ykens started to dedicate himself to painting, likely under the guidance of his friend, the genre painter David Ryckaert III. He did, however, not abandon sculpting. Despite his artistic activities, he seemed to struggle to make a living. His pupils besides his children were the sculptor Flups Tallaert, (1640–41), Lamberecht la Fosse (1641–42), Peeter van Opbergen (1645–46), and Jan-Battista van Neckens (1665–66). The death date and place of the artist are not known. His last dated painting is dated 1680 and therefore his death must have occurred in that year or thereafter.

Work

Ykens was as a painter known for his Christian religious scene, history paintings and portraits. He sculpted church decoration and furniture such as pulpits. Only a few of his works have been preserved. PM 137615 B Kortrijk.jpg, PM 137613 B Kortrijk.jpg, Descent from the Cross,

Saint Martin's Church (Kortrijk) St-Martin's Church (''Sint-Maartenskerk'' in Dutch language, Dutch) is the main church and one of the principal Gothic architecture, Gothic monuments of Kortrijk (Courtrai), Flanders, Belgium. The church is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. His ...

PM 137614 B Kortrijk.jpg,

References

External links

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Wooden sculptures
including a Maria of the 7 sorrows in 1645, and a

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...

from 1657, in the Kouterkapel,

Zele Zele () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders, around 20 km east of Ghent. The municipality only comprises the town of Zele proper. In 2021, Zele had a total population of 21,333. The total area is 33.06 km2 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ykens, Johannes 1613 births 1680 deaths Flemish Baroque painters Artists from Antwerp Painters from Antwerp Flemish Baroque sculptors