Lucas van Valckenborch or Lucas van Valckenborch the Elder (

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 ...

, c. 1535 –

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, 2 February 1597) was a Flemish painter, mainly known for his

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

s. He also made contributions to portrait painting, and allegorical and market scenes. Court painter to Archduke Matthias, the governor of the Spanish Netherlands in Brussels, he later migrated to Austria and then Germany where he joined members of his extended family of artists who had moved there for religious reasons.Alexander Wied and Hans Devisscher. "Valckenborch, van." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 24 July 2016

Life

Lucas van Valckenborch was born in

in what would become one of the most prominent Flemish families of artists. Spanning three generations, 14 artists are recorded in the family of whom his older brother

Marten A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on t ...

the Elder and the sons of the latter, Frederik van Valckenborch and Gillis van Valckenborch, were the most important personalities.Ulrike Schmidl, ''Lucas van Valckenborch in Wiener Sammlungen'', Diplomarbeit Grad Magistra der Philosophie (Mag. phil.), Universitat Wien, November 2010 Lucas van Valckenborch
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 ...

Lucas van Valckenborch - Meat and Fish Market (Winter)

On 26 August 1560 he entered the painters' guild of

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 ...

. Mechelen was known at the time as a center for oil and water-colours and especially landscape painting.Lucas van Valckenborch
in:

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 ...

, ''

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 The artistic milieu of Mechelen was influential on the development of the artist as Lucas van Valckenborch learned the art of watercolour painting in Mechelen. Here he also got to know the prominent painters

Pieter Bruegel the Elder Pieter Bruegel (also Brueghel or Breughel) the Elder (, ; ; – 9 September 1569) was the most significant artist of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, a painter and printmaker, known for his landscapes and peasant scenes (so-called genr ...

(1528-1569) and

Hans Bol Hans Bol or Jan Bol (16 December 1534 – 20 November 1593), was a Flemish-Belgian painter, print artist, miniaturist painter and draftsman.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 ...

reported that Lucas van Valckenborch learned to paint landscapes in

. At the start of the

iconoclastic Iconoclasm (from Greek: grc, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, εἰκών + κλάω, lit=image-breaking. ''Iconoclasm'' may also be conside ...

fury of the

Beeldenstorm ''Beeldenstorm'' () in Dutch and ''Bildersturm'' in German (roughly translatable from both languages as 'attack on the images or statues') are terms used for outbreaks of destruction of religious images that occurred in Europe in the 16th centu ...

in 1566 Lucas van Valckenborch left Antwerp with his brother

Marten van Valckenborch Marten van Valckenborch or Marten van Valckenborch the Elder (1535 in Leuven – 1612 in Frankfurt), was a Flemish Renaissance painter, mainly known for his landscapes and city scapes. He also made allegorical paintings and some portraits. A ...

, probably for religious reasons as they may have been

protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

. A series of topographical views, including a 1567 painted view of

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

, prove van Valckenborch travelled up the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

valley. This trip played an important role in his development as a landscape artist working directly from nature.Lucas van Valckenborch, ''Rocky Landscape with Travelers on a Path, with a View of a Town, Believed to be Huy, in the Valley Beyond''
at Sotheby's In 1570 the artist was in

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

, where he met up again with his brother Marten. Here, the two brothers were also joined for two years by

Hans Vredeman de Vries Hans Vredeman de Vries (1527 – c. 1607) was a Dutch Renaissance architect, painter, and engineer. Vredeman de Vries is known for his publication in 1583 on garden design and his books with many examples on ornaments (1565) and perspective (1604 ...

, friend and fellow artist. By 1575 Lucas had returned to Antwerp, where he must have made a name for himself. Before 1579 the young Archduke Matthias of Austria, the governor of the Spanish Netherlands, hired him as his court painter. The Archduke was particularly impressed by his skills as a portrait painter. As court painter, Valckenborch created in the Netherlands some works for the Archduke, including the designs for the Archduke's Guard and some portraits. After the Archduke lost his position as governor in 1582, the Archduke left the Netherlands and went to live in

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...

without position. It is not clear when Lucas van Valckenborch joined the Archduke in Linz. Van Mander describes the pair traveling together down the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

. There is no documentary evidence for this but it is assumed he arrived in Linz in 1582 or earlier, and stayed there until June 1582 at least. Two bills from

Kremsmünster Kremsmünster is a town in Kirchdorf an der Krems District, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Settled in 777, it is home to the Kremsmünster Abbey. The Abbey was founded 777 by Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria and is one of the oldest abbeys of ...

prove he actually spent time in Upper Austria. Lucas van Valkenborch - Landscape with a Rural Festival - WGA24256

At the beginning of 1593 Lucas van Valckenborch joined his brother Marten in

. Here he became the teacher and collaborator of Georg Flegel. He remained active in Frankfurt until his death in 1597.

Work

General

Lucas van Valckenborch is mainly known for his landscapes, which depict existing and imaginary scenes. He also painted portraits for his patron Emperor Matthias. He was also a figure painter as shown in a series of nine allegories of the seasons painted in Frankfurt from 1592. Valckenborch's earliest dated works are from 1567. His monogram was L / VV or LVV. Early in his career he placed the 'L' below the two 'V's, while after 1570 he signed with the letters inverted. His style was close to that of

Pieter Brueghel the Elder Pieter Bruegel (also Brueghel or Breughel) the Elder (, ; ; – 9 September 1569) was the most significant artist of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, a painter and printmaker, known for his landscapes and peasant scenes (so-called genre ...

, but he modified this influence in a personal manner and was not a slavish copyist. His work was rooted in the same Flemish tradition, without following the newer

Mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...

movement.

Landscapes

Rocky Landscape with Travelers on a Path

Van Valckenborch worked largely in the tradition of the so-called '

world landscape The world landscape, a translation of the German ''Weltlandschaft'', is a type of composition in Western painting showing an imaginary panoramic landscape seen from an elevated viewpoint that includes mountains and lowlands, water, and buildings. ...

' of panoramic vistas shown from a bird's-eye viewpoint. This style of landscape painting was developed in Antwerp in the first half of the 16th century by artists like

Joachim Patinir Joachim Patinir, also called Patenier (c. 1480 – 5 October 1524), was a Flemish Renaissance painter of history and landscape subjects. He was Flemish, from the area of modern Wallonia, but worked in Antwerp, then the centre of the art market ...

Herri met de Bles Herri met de Bles, also known as Henri Blès, Herri de Dinant, Herry de Patinir, and ''il Civetta'' (c. 1490 – after 1566), was a Flemish Northern Renaissance and Mannerist landscape painter, native of Bouvignes or Dinant (both in present-day B ...

and Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It was also practised by Lucas van Valckenborch's contemporaries such as

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.

and

Gillis van Coninxloo Gillis van Coninxloo (now also referred to as Gillis van Coninxloo II but previously referred to as Gillis van Coninxloo III) (24 January 1544 – January 1607) was a Flemish painter of landscapes who played an important role in the development ...

. Van Valckenborch also painted topographically accurate landscapes.

Joris Hoefnagel Joris Hoefnagel or Georg Hoefnagel (1542, in Antwerp – 24 July 1601, in Vienna) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman and merchant. He is noted for his illustrations of natural history subjects, topographical views, ...

is believed to have used his topographical drawings, for instance the drawn View of Linz, for his designs for the six-volume atlas, the Civitates orbis terrarum, published by

Georg Braun Georg Braun (also ''Brunus, Bruin''; 1541 – 10 March 1622) was a German topo-geographer. From 1572 to 1617, he edited the ''Civitates orbis terrarum,'' which contains 546 prospects, bird's-eye views and maps of cities from all around the ...

and

Frans Hogenberg Frans Hogenberg (1535–1590) was a Flemish and German painter, engraver, and mapmaker. Hogenberg was born in Mechelen in Flanders as the son of Nicolaas Hogenberg.''Landscape with a Rural Festival'' (1577; Hermitage) or the two versions of the ''Landscape with a Peasant Wedding and Dance'' (both 1574,

National Gallery of Denmark The National Gallery of Denmark ( da, Statens Museum for Kunst, also known as "SMK", literally State Museum for Art) is the Danish national gallery, located in the centre of Copenhagen. The museum collects, registers, maintains, researches and han ...

). He also created some close-up representations of forest landscapes. Lucas van Valckenborch - Autumn landscape (September)

In their mixture of fantasy and accurate topographical details, van Valckenborch's landscape paintings offer a view of the world and man's relationship to it. This is particularly clear in his rocky landscapes in which the diminutive people on the winding path are reduced by the monumental cliffs. An example is the ''Rocky Landscape with Travelers on a Path'' (c. 1570, Sotheby's 6 July 2016, London lot 3) where the distant goatherd and the silhouettes of his charges seem ant-like in comparison to the vast distance, and the vertiginous perspective of the scene. This dramatic visual depiction is clearly intended as a commentary on man's place within the universe. He also painted, between 1584 and 1587, a series of large pictures depicting the labours of the months, probably on commission for Archduke Matthias. These compositions, of which seven survive (five of which are in the Kunsthistorische Museum), present the various months of the year by showing the changing landscape and the traditional activities of humans during each month. It is not clear whether the five missing paintings were never painted or are lost. Due to their realistic setting these compositions carry a documentary interest. The work of Pieter Bruegel the elder, who had painted a series of 6 on the times of the year, was influential on van Valckenborch. Lucas van Valckenborch moved away from the tradition of painting the landscape in three cascading distances that were rendered in three different colours: brown, green and blue for each receding plane. Rather he often left out the green tone for the middle distance. He also innovated the thematic scenes by developing them into genre scenes with a stronger narrative depth. Lucas van Valckenborch - Peasant tavern

Lucas van Valckenborch regularly returned to the subject of the

Tower of Babel The Tower of Babel ( he, , ''Mīgdal Bāḇel'') narrative in Genesis 11:1–9 is an origin myth meant to explain why the world's peoples speak different languages. According to the story, a united human race speaking a single language and mi ...

, which was also depicted by

and later by a whole range of Flemish artists. The subject of the Tower of Babel is usually interpreted as a critique of human

hubris Hubris (; ), or less frequently hybris (), describes a personality quality of extreme or excessive pride or dangerous overconfidence, often in combination with (or synonymous with) arrogance. The term ''arrogance'' comes from the Latin ', mean ...

, and in particular of the Roman Catholic Church which at the time was undertaking at great expense large-scale construction projects such as the

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

. However, it has also been viewed as a celebration of technical progress, which would herald a better and more organized world.

Portraits

Archduke Matthias is said to have engaged Lucas van Valckenborch as his court painter for his skills as a portrait painter. Many of the works he produced for the Archduke were in fact portraits, including portraits of the Archduke and his wife Sibylle von Jülich-Cleve-Berg. These portraits were full-length portraits or bust format. He also painted several miniature portraits of the Archduke and his wife. It is clear that these portraits' role was to show the power of Archduke and to flatter his ego as he is depicted invariably in a regal and imposing position and dressed in the latest fashions. Lucas van Valckenborch also included miniature portraits of himself and his friends in a number of his landscape paintings. This is the case, for instance in ''The Emperor's walk in the forest'' where he has depicted himself on the left of the composition with his drawing tools. In the ''Landscape with a Rural Festival'' (1577; Hermitage) he included portraits of his friends

Abraham Ortelius Abraham Ortelius (; also Ortels, Orthellius, Wortels; 4 or 14 April 152728 June 1598) was a Brabantian cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer, conventionally recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas, the ''Theatrum Orbis Terraru ...

and himself among the throng of revellers.

Market scenes

Lucas van Valckenborch painted a number of market scenes, which are also distinctively tied to the four seasons. The ''Meat and Fish Market (Winter)'' (c. 1595,

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA; french: Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, MBAM) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square ...

) is an example of a market scene, which is also an allegory of winter. The work was likely part of a series of four dedicated to the seasons. The imagery of the market scenes can be traced back to the previous generation of painters from the Antwerp school. Lucas van Valckenborch (1535 or later–1597), ''Meat and Fish Market (Winter)'' at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts In the series van Valckenborch particularly developed the tradition of art market scenes pioneered by

Pieter Aertsen Pieter Aertsen (1508 – 2 June 1575), called ''Lange Piet'' ("Tall Pete") because of his height, was a Dutch painter in the style of Northern Mannerism. He is credited with the invention of the monumental genre scene, which combines still life ...

and

Joachim Beuckelaer Joachim Beuckelaer (c. 1533 – c. 1570/4) was a Flemish painter specialising in market and kitchen scenes with elaborate displays of food and household equipment. He also painted still lifes with no figures in the central scene.

. He strived for a synthesis of still-life with landscape and genre painting. The still lifes in many of the market scenes were the work of his assistant Georg Flegel who may also have trained with him. A snow-covered fish market scene (Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp) is another example of a market scene set in the winter. People are shown skating on the ice in the background. Two muffled-up well-to-do women are making their purchases dressed in the typical

Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...

style of around 1580–1600. The fishmonger is shown slicing off pieces of salmon, while his wife is taking smoked fish from a hook. The fish and utensils in the foreground are the work of Flegel who was able to render the fine metal shine of the brass bucket and the grain of the wooden water bucket.Lucas van Valckenborch, ""Fish Market''
at The Golden Cabinet Georg Flegel also painted the food and luxurious tableware in two paintings of van Valckenborch depicting banquets (

Silesian Museum Silesian Museum in Katowice ( pl, Muzeum Śląskie w Katowicach) is a museum in the City of Katowice, Poland. History The museum was founded in 1929 by the Silesian Sejm, while the region was recovering from the Silesian Uprisings. In the inte ...

and St Gilgen-Salzburg, H. Wiesenthal private collection).

Gallery

File:Lucas van Valckenborch - Emperor Matthias as Archduke, with baton.jpg, ''Portrait of Matthias of Austria'' File:1593 Valckenborch Ansicht von Antwerpen mit zugefrorener Schelde anagoria.JPG, ''View of Antwerp with the Frozen Scheldt'' File:Lucas van Valckenborch - Meuse landscape with a mine and smelters.jpg, ''Landscape with Mine and Forge'' File:La Tour de Babel, Van Valckenborch, 1594.jpg, ''Tower of Babel''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valckenborch, Lucas van 1530s births 1597 deaths Flemish landscape painters Flemish portrait painters Flemish genre painters Flemish Renaissance painters Artists from Leuven