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Marten Ryckaert or Maerten Ryckaert (baptised 8 December 1587,
Marten Ryckaert or Maerten Ryckaert (baptised 8 December 1587, 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,
– 11 October 1631), 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; ...
landscape painter
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...
. He was known for his small, usually imaginary 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 in an Italianate style.
Life
Marten Ryckaert was a member of the Ryckaert (or Rijckaert) family of artists. He was born in Antwerp in 1587 as the second child of David Rijckaert the Elder and Catharina Rem.Frans Jozef Peter Van den Branden, ''Geschiedenis der Antwerpsche schilderschool'', Antwerpen, 1883, p. 601-603 David the Elder was a brewer and a painter of wooden statues who had become a master of the AntwerpGuild of Saint 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 Evangelist Luke, the patron saint of artists, who was ide ...
in 1585.Bernadette Van Haute. ''David III Ryckaert: A Seventeenth-Century Flemish Painter of Peasant Scenes.'' Volume 1, Doctoral thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Literature and Philosophy at the University of South Africa, November 1996, pp. 10-12 He is also mentioned as a dealer in paintings. Marten had 7 siblings of whom his older brother David the Younger (born in 1586) became a prominent still life painter. He was the uncle of David Ryckaert III
David Ryckaert III, David Rijckaert III or David Rijckaert the Younger (2 December 1612, Antwerp - 11 November 1661, Antwerp)
Marten probably first studied with his father and was later a pupil of Tobias Verhaecht (or Verhaeght). Verhaecht was also
at Christie's Marten rejoined the Antwerp
at the Netherlands Institute for Art History He spent the remainder of his professional career in his native city. He was active in the local chamber of rhetoric ''De Violieren''. He never married and collected many paintings by his contemporaries in his house in the Meyerstraat in Antwerp.Martin Ryckaert
in Wurzbach, Alfred von earb. ''Niederländisches Künstlerlexikon: mit mehr als 3000 Monogrammen (Band 2): L - Z'', Amsterdam, 1910
He was reportedly a close friend of
New York , 29 janv. 2009 The portrait was engraved by
It is difficult to assess the stylistic development of his work. The landscapes are in an Italianate style and thus resemble those of the 
His style of painting became gradually obsolete during his own lifetime and was replaced by the
at the Nouvelle Biographie Nationale His composition ''A rocky landscape with figures by an iron foundry'' has long been regarded as one of the oldest paintings of a blast furnace and refinery in Europe.Marten Ryckaert , ''A rocky landscape with figures by an iron foundry, a river and houses on the bank beyond''
at Christie's
Peter Paul Rubens
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...
's teacher for a brief period. Marten 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 1607.
It is believed he traveled to Italy between 1607 and 1610 although no documentary evidence of this trip has been found. It is believed that during his stay in Italy he practised ''plein air'' sketching.Martin Ryckaert (Antwerp 1587-1631), ''An extensive mountainous landscape with figures on horseback and others resting in the foreground, a winding river and a town beyond''at Christie's Marten rejoined 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 1611 and was registered as the "painter with one arm".Biographical detailsat the Netherlands Institute for Art History He spent the remainder of his professional career in his native city. He was active in the local chamber of rhetoric ''De Violieren''. He never married and collected many paintings by his contemporaries in his house in the Meyerstraat in Antwerp.Martin Ryckaert
in Wurzbach, Alfred von earb. ''Niederländisches Künstlerlexikon: mit mehr als 3000 Monogrammen (Band 2): L - Z'', Amsterdam, 1910
He was reportedly a close friend of Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy.
The seventh c ...
, who painted his portrait showing Ryckaert dressed up as a king around 1630. This portrait was in the possession of Marten Ryckaert when he died and is today in the Prado in 
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
.Sotheby's Important Old Master Paintings, Including European Works of ArtNew York , 29 janv. 2009 The portrait was engraved by
Jacob Neefs
Jacob Neefs or Jacob Neeffs (Antwerp, 1610 – Antwerp, after 1660) was a Flemish etcher, engraver and publisher. He worked on publication projects for prominent Flemish artists of his time including Rubens, van Dyck and Jordaens.
Life
Jacob Nee ...
and then included in van Dyck's book project entitled "Iconography" which contained portraits of famous people of that time.
Ryckaert fell ill in early 1631 and is buried in Antwerp on 11 October. He left his entire fortune to his sister Maria and his brother Pauwel (or Pauwels).
Work
His sparse surviving works mainly depict imaginary landscapes with forests, often with waterfalls, rocks, ruins, architecture and small human figures. Marten Ryckaert's work shows similarities with that of the Antwerp painterJoos de Momper
Joos de Momper the Younger or Joost de Momper the Younger (1564February5, 1635) was a Flemish landscape painter active in Antwerp between the late 16th century and the early 17th century. Brueghel's influence is clearly evident in many of de Momp ...
and also to that of Paul Bril and Jan Brueghel
It is difficult to assess the stylistic development of his work. The landscapes are in an Italianate style and thus resemble those of the Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
-based Flemish landscape painter Paul Bril. This is particularly true for works from the period following his return from his presumed trip to Italy as Paul Bril's prints of Roman-style landscapes were widely disseminated in Antwerp at this time. The placement, style and grouping of the figures in the landscapes are indebted to Jan Brueghel the Elder
Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Elder (, ; ; 1568 – 13 January 1625) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He was the son of the eminent Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. A close friend and frequent collaborato ...
. This is most obvious in works such as the ''Landscape with the Flight into Egypt'' (in a private collection) that is based on a lost original by Brueghel, although Ryckaert did not slavishly copy Brueghel's invention. The colour treatment resembles that of Joos de Momper.
His style of painting became gradually obsolete during his own lifetime and was replaced by the Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
style, which was characterized by a greater realism, greater scale, warmer colours and transparent light.Biographical detailsat the Nouvelle Biographie Nationale His composition ''A rocky landscape with figures by an iron foundry'' has long been regarded as one of the oldest paintings of a blast furnace and refinery in Europe.
at Christie's
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryckaert, Marten Flemish Baroque painters Flemish landscape painters Painters from Antwerp 1587 births 1631 deaths