Lucas Franchoys the Elder or Lucas Francois (1574–1643) was a

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

painter of

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

s and

portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...

Life

He was born in

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

in a family of artists. His sister Cornelia married the sculptor

Hendrik Faydherbe Hendrik Faydherbe or Henri Fayd'herbe (1574–1629) was a Flemish sculptor and gilder, and poet, who lived and worked in Mechelen, in the Southern Netherlands. Life He was born in Mechelen in 1574, the son of Antoon Faydherbe, a brewer, and at th ...

and their son

Lucas Faydherbe Lucas Faydherbe (also spelled Lucas Faijdherbe; he signed as Lucas Fayd'herbe) (Mechelen, 19 January 1617 – Mechelen, 31 December 1697)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 1599. Between 1613 and 1640 he was deacon of the guild six times.Lucas Franchoys (I)
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 ...

He married Catharina du Pont on 13 January 1605. The couple had three daughters and two sons. He taught both of his sons,

Lucas Franchoys the Younger Lucas Franchoys the Younger or Lucas Franchoys IIalternative spellings of name: Lucas Franchois, Lucas François, Louis Franchoys (28 June 1616 in Mechelen – 3 April 1681 in Mechelen) was a Flemish Baroque painter from Mechelen, who painted nu ...

and

Peter Franchoys Peter, Peeter or Pieter Franchoys or Francois (1606 in Mechelen – 1654 in Mechelen) was a Flemish Baroque painter, who is mainly known for his portraits and religious paintings. Life He studied painting with his father, Lucas Franchoys the Eld ...

, the art of painting. In the years 1602–1604 he was court painter in Paris and Madrid. In Paris, he worked for Henri, Prince of Condé for whom he painted many portraits.Patrick Le Chanu. "Condé, House of." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 26 September 2014Lucas Francois
in:

Cornelis de Bie Cornelis de Bie (10 February 1627 – ) was a Flemish '' rederijker'', poet, jurist and minor politician from Lier. He is the author of about 64 works, mostly comedies. He is known internationally today for his biographical sketches of Flemish ...

, ''

Het Gulden Cabinet ''Het Gulden Cabinet vande Edel Vry Schilder-Const'' or ''The Golden Cabinet of the Noble Liberal Art of Painting'' is a book by the 17th-century Flemish notary and ''Chamber of rhetoric, rederijker'' Cornelis de Bie published in Antwerp. Writte ...

vande Edel Vry Schilder-Const'', Antwerp, 1662, p. 374 In 1610 he painted a Pietà for the

Saint Bavo Cathedral Saint Bavo's Cathedral, also known as Sint-Baafs Cathedral ( nl, Sint Baafskathedraal), is a cathedral of the Catholic Church in Ghent, Belgium. The 89-meter-tall Gothic building is the seat of the Diocese of Ghent and is named for Saint Bavo of ...

in Ghent. He died in Mechelen.

Work

The early Dutch biographer

Arnold Houbraken Arnold Houbraken (28 March 1660 – 14 October 1719) was a Dutch painter and writer from Dordrecht, now remembered mainly as a biographer of Dutch Golden Age painters. Life Houbraken was sent first to learn ''threadtwisting'' (Twyndraat) fr ...

described Franchoys as a painter known for his portraits and historical allegories.Lucas Francois biography
in:

, ''De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen'', 1718 His clients belonged to the elite.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franchoys the Elder, Lucas Flemish Baroque painters Flemish portrait painters 1574 births 1643 deaths Painters from Mechelen Court painters