Johannes Ykens
Johannes Ykens (Antwerp, 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.
, a sculptor and painter, and his second wife Barbara Brekevelt. He was baptized on 30 January 1648. He was the brother of the flower painter Catherine Ykens II.Frans Jozef Peter Van den Branden, ''Geschiedenis der Antwerpsche schilderschool'', Antwerpen, 1883, pp. 1113-1115 He was trained by his father.Peter Ykens at the Netherlands Institute for Art History He was admitted in the guild year 1673-1674 as a master of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in the capacity of a ''wijnmeester'' (son of a master). Ph. Rombouts and Th. van Lerius, De liggeren en andere historische archieven der Antwerpsche sint Lucasgilde Volume 2, Antwerp, 1864, p. 416, on Google books
According to the French biographer Jean-Baptiste Descamps Ykens intended, like so many of his compatriots, to travel to Rome, but then got married and abandoned the idea. Descamps further writes that Ykens tried to make up for this failure to visit Italy by studying prints after Italian works, Italian antiques and plaster reliefs to hone his skills.Peter Ykens in: Jean Baptiste Descamps, La Vie des Peintres Flamands, Allemands et Hollandois, avec des portraits gravés en Taille-douce, une indication de leurs principaux Ouvrages, & des réflexions sur leurs différentes manieres, Deel 3, 1760
He married Maria Anna van Bredael, daughter of the painter
Peeter van Bredael
Pieter van Bredael or Peeter van Bredael (1629–1719) was a Flemish painter specializing in market scenes and village feasts set in Italianate landscapes or contemporary, usually, urban environments.
Life
Pieter van Bredael was born in Antwe ...
on 14 July 1671. The couple had 11 or possibly 13 children. His career did not take off immediately and in the first years he had to work at a daily rate for Antoon van Leyen, an Antwerp alderman. Gradually his fortune improved and he received commissions for altarpieces in Antwerp and Mechelen. He also painted portraits including a portrait of King Charles II of Spain. He further received commissions for the design of tapestries. In 1689 he was elected dean of the Guild of Saint Luke.
He trained 28 pupils including
Karel Breydel
Karel Breydel or Carel Breydel, called 'Le Chevalier' (1678, Antwerp - 1733, Antwerp) was a Southern Netherlands, Flemish painter of battle pieces, equestrian paintings and landscapes.
Life
Very few details about the life of Karel Breydel have be ...
Jacob Leyssens
Jacob Leyssens or Jacob Lyssens (nickname Notenkraker) (1661, Antwerp - 1710, Antwerp), was a Flemish painter and decorator. After training in Antwerp, he spent a long time in Rome. After his return to Antwerp, he was active as a painter and de ...
.
His eldest son Jan Frans became a staffage painter who collaborated with
still life
A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...
painters of flowers and fruit.
He died in Antwerp.
Work
He painted portraits and Christian religious representations and made a large number of
altarpiece
An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...
s and paintings for local churches and palaces.
As was the custom in Antwerp at the time, he often worked together with other painters who were specialists in particular genres. He is known to have collaborated with
Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen the Elder
Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen the Elder (Antwerp, 1635 – Antwerp, 16 April 1681) was a Flemish painter of flowers and garland paintings.Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen the Younger
Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen or Gasparo Pedro Verbruggen (baptized on 11 April 1664 in Antwerp – buried on 14 March 1730 in Antwerp) was a Flemish still life painter who is principally known for his decorative still lifes with flowers and fruit. ...
,
Jan Pauwel Gillemans the Younger
Jan Pauwel Gillemans the Younger (Antwerp, baptized 3 September 1651 - Antwerp, buried 20 March 1704) was a Flemish still life painter. He worked in a range of still life genres including flower and fruit still lifes, banquet still lifes, pronkst ...
,
Jan Baptist de Crépu
Jan Baptist de Crépu or Jean Baptiste de Crépu (before 1640 – before 17 June 1689) was a Walloons, Walloon officer in the Spanish service and a flower painter who after retiring from military service operated a workshop in Antwerp. He trained ...
and
Jacob Melchior van Herck
Jacob Melchior van Herck or Jacobus Melchior van Herck (active in Antwerp 1691–1735) was a Flemish still life painter active in Antwerp. He is principally known for his flower and fruit still lifes. He collaborated with figure painters in the c ...
, all specialists in flower still lives, and
Ferdinand van Kessel
Ferdinand van Kessel (1648 – 1696), was a Flemish Baroque painter known for his landscapes, still lifes and genre pieces with monkeys.
, a landscape artist. He painted the staffage while these artists contributed the still life or landscape elements to the compositions.
He provided designs for the tapestry workshops. He is believed to have collaborated with
Pieter Spierinckx
Pieter Spierincks or Pieter Nicolaes Spierinckx (30 August 1635, Antwerp – 30 August 1711, Antwerp or England) was a Flemish painter and designer of tapestries. He was an important representative of the Italianizing movement in Flemish landsca ...
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
He also produced a series of six cartons after prints by
Charles Lebrun
Charles Le Brun (baptised 24 February 1619 – 12 February 1690) was a French painter, physiognomist, art theorist, and a director of several art schools of his time. As court painter to Louis XIV, who declared him "the greatest French artist of ...