Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert (1613 – 23 January 1654) was a

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

-born

Flemish Baroque painter Flemish Baroque painting refers to the art produced in the Southern Netherlands during Spanish control in the 16th and 17th centuries. The period roughly begins when the Dutch Republic was split from the Habsburg Spain regions to the south with ...

Biography

Willeboirts Bosschaert was born in Bergen op Zoom, where his

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

family had moved in the late sixteenth century. He moved to Antwerp in 1628, and entered the studio of

Gerard Seghers Gerard SeghersGerard Seghers
at the

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 ...

. He died in

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,

Art

Willeboirts' style was heavily influenced by

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 ...

, both in history and portrait, leading some scholars to suggest that Willeboirts might have studied in that studio. The artist ran his own studio with at least nine known pupils, and collaborated with other artists of the time such as

Daniel Seghers Daniël Seghers or Daniel Seghers (3 December 1590 – 2 November 1661) was a Flemish Jesuit brother and painter who specialized in flower still lifes. He is particularly well known for his contributions to the genre of flower garland painting.I ...

Paul de Vos Paul de Vos (1591/92, or 1595 in Hulst – 30 June 1678 in Antwerp) was a Flemish Baroque painter who specialized in mainly in compositions of animals, hunting scenes and still lifes. He worked for an elite clientele and was a regular collaborato ...

Jan Fyt Jan Fijt or Johannes Fijt (or Fyt) (19 August 1609 – 11 September 1661) was a Flemish Baroque painter, draughtsman and etcher. One of the leading animaliers of the 17th century, he was known for his refined depictions of animals and his lush ...

Jan van den Hoecke Jan van den Hoecke ( – 1651) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and designer of wall tapestries. He was one of the principal assistants in Rubens' studio in the 1630s. He later traveled to Italy where he resided for a decade in Rome. He subseq ...

Frans Snyders Frans Snyders or Frans Snijders (11 November 1579, Antwerp – 19 August 1657, Antwerp) was a Flemish painter of animals, hunting scenes, market scenes and still lifes. He was one of the earliest specialist animaliers and he is credited with ...

, and

Adriaen van Utrecht Adriaen van Utrecht (Antwerp, 12 January 1599 – 1652) was a Flemish painter known mainly for his sumptuous banquet still lifes, game and fruit still lifes, fruit garlands, market and kitchen scenes and depictions of live poultry in farmyards. ...

, as well as with

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 ...

on the decoration series for

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...

's ''

Torre de la Parada The Torre de la Parada is a former hunting lodge that was located in present-day Monte de El Pardo in Fuencarral-El Pardo, near the Royal Palace of El Pardo, some way outside Madrid in the Sierra de Guadarrama. It was mostly destroyed by fire whe ...

'' (1636–1638). Between 1641 and 1647 he also worked for the Dutch

stadtholder In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and H ...

Frederik Hendrik of Orange. Hendrik's widow, Amalia von Solms also commissioned a work from Willeboirts for the decorations of the ''Oranjezaal'' (Orange Room) in the

Huis ten Bosch Huis ten Bosch ( nl, Paleis Huis ten Bosch, ; English: "House in the Woods") is a royal palace in The Hague, Netherlands. It is one of three official residences of the Dutch monarch; the two others being the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague and ...

, a decorative program that included both Dutch and Flemish masters. In 1653, a competition was held in Antwerp between him and

Cornelis Schut Cornelis Schut (13 May 1597 – 29 April 1655) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman, engraver and tapestry designer who specialized in religious and mythological scenes. Presumed to have trained under Rubens, he treated Counter-Reformation ...

to create an altarpiece with money that had been allocated for Van Dyck before his death; Willeboirts lost to Schut's painting, ''The Martyrdom of St. George''. Willeboirts made the

grisaille Grisaille ( or ; french: grisaille, lit=greyed , from ''gris'' 'grey') is a painting executed entirely in shades of grey or of another neutral greyish colour. It is particularly used in large decorative schemes in imitation of sculpture. Many g ...

centerpieces for two of

garland paintings. For one of these Seghers was awarded with a solid gold maulstick, and Willeboirts was given a hundred guilders. Image:Daniel Seghers Garland with Virgin 1645 paid with gold maulstick 1646.JPG,

''Garland with Virgin'', 1645, paid for with gold maulstick.This was the painting

Constantijn Huygens Sir Constantijn Huygens, Lord of Zuilichem ( , , ; 4 September 159628 March 1687), was a Dutch Golden Age poet and composer. He was also secretary to two Princes of Orange: Frederick Henry and William II, and the father of the scientist C ...

referred to i
Huygens praise of Seghers's painted flowers (in Latin), IN PRAESTANTISSIMI PICTORIS DAN. SEGHERI ROSAS
File:Study of a Boy's Head, made 1644-1645, by Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert (1613 or 1614-1654). Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden.jpg, Study of a Boy's Head, 1644–1645, by Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden

Notes

References

* Frans Baudouin, "Van Dyck's Last Religious Commission: An Altarpiece for Antwerp Cathedral," in ''Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes'', Vol. 57. (1994), pp. 175–190. * Axel Heinrich, ''Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert (1613/14-1654). Ein flämischer Nachfolger Van Dycks''. Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, 2003. * * Hans Vlieghe. "Thoughts on Van Dyck's Early Fame and Influence in Flanders," in: ''Van Dyck 350. Studies in the History of Art, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts'', vol. 46, edited by Susan J. Barnes and Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994, pp. 198–220. {{DEFAULTSORT:Willeboirts Bosschaert, Thomas 1613 births 1654 deaths People from Bergen op Zoom Flemish Baroque painters Dutch painters Dutch male painters Painters from Antwerp