Hondius - Jacobus de Geyn Antwerp Pict et Sculpt p63

Jacob de Gheyn II (also Jacques de Gheyn II) (c. 1565 – 29 March 1629) was a Dutch

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 ...

and engraver, whose work shows the transition from

Northern Mannerism Northern Mannerism is the form of Mannerism found in the visual arts north of the Alps in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Styles largely derived from Italian Mannerism were found in the Netherlands and elsewhere from around the mid-century, es ...

to Dutch realism over the course of his career.

Biography

Jacques de Gheyn (II) - Venus and Cupid - c

De Gheyn was born 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,

and received his first training from his father, Jacob de Gheyn I, a glass painter, engraver, and

draftsman A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman or drafting technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawings or plans for ...

. In 1585, he moved to

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

, where he studied under

Hendrik Goltzius Hendrick Goltzius, or Hendrik, (; ; January or February 1558 – 1 January 1617) was a German-born Dutch printmaker, draftsman, and painter. He was the leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period, or Northern Mannerism, lauded for his ...

for the next five years. He moved again, to

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

, in the middle of the 1590s. His work attracted the attention of wealthy sponsors, and his first commission was for an engraving of the Siege of Geertruidenberg from

Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange Maurice of Orange ( nl, Maurits van Oranje; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death in 1625. Before he became Prince o ...

. This event, from 27 March to 24 June 1593, had been more of a demonstration of power by Prince Maurits, than an actual war, and had even attracted tourists. As a publicity stunt, the siege and its subsequent engraving were successful in propagating an image of Prince Maurits as an able general. Around 1600, de Gheyn abandoned engraving, and focused on painting and

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

. Moving to The Hague in 1605, he was employed often by Dutch royalty, designing a garden in the Buitenhof for Prince Maurice of Orange which featured the two first

grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...

es in the Netherlands. After Prince Maurice's death in 1625, de Gheyn worked for his brother,

Prince Frederick Henry Frederick Henry ( nl, Frederik Hendrik; 29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereign prince of Orange and stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrecht, Guelders, Lordship of Overijss ...

. De Gheyn painted some of the earliest female nudes,

vanitas A ''vanitas'' (Latin for 'vanity') is a symbolic work of art showing the temporality, transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death. Best-kn ...

, and floral

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 ...

s in

Dutch art Dutch art describes the history of visual arts in the Netherlands, after the United Provinces separated from Flanders. Earlier painting in the area is covered in Early Netherlandish painting and Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting. The his ...

. He is credited with creating over 1,500 drawings, including

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 and natural history illustrations. He produced 117 engravings for the military manual ''The Exercise of Armes'' while living in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

.Jacques de Gheyn II
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jacob_de_Gheyn_II&action=edit§ion=1(2000). ''The Grove Dictionary of Art.'' Retrieved January 26, 2007. De Gheyn married Eva Stalpaert van der Wiele 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 ...

in 1595. His son,

Jacob de Gheyn III Jacob de Gheyn III, also known as Jacob III de Gheyn (1596–1641), was a Dutch Golden Age engraver, son of Jacob de Gheyn II, canon of Utrecht (city), and the subject of a 1632 oil painting by Rembrandt. The portrait is half of a pai ...

, was born in 1596, and grew to become an engraver in his own right, as well as the subject of a portrait by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

. De Gheyn died in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

Jacques_de_Gheyn_(II)_-_Vanitas_Still_Life_-_1603

Jacques_de_Gheyn_the_Elder_-_Vanitas_Still_Life_-_1957

File:'Vase of Flowers with a Curtain', oil on panel painting by Jacques de Gheyn II, 1615.jpg, 'Vase of Flowers with a Curtain', 1615. File:Jacob de Gheyn - Wapenhandelinge 4.jpg, Engraving of

musketeer A musketeer (french: mousquetaire) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare particularly in Europe as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a pre ...

from his ''Wapenhandelinge''"De Wapenhandelinghe van Roers, Musketten ende Spiesen", 1608 File:Jacob de Gheyn (II) Spanish battle stallion 1603.jpg, Spanish battle stallion 1603. Image:Gheyn-muisje.png, Drawing in waterpaint by Jacques de Gheyn, ''Four times a mouse''

References

External links

Jacob de Gheyn II at ArtcylopediaWorks by Jacob de Gheyn II in the British MuseumVermeer and The Delft School
a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has material on Jacob de Gheyn II * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gheyn, Jacob De, II Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters Dutch Golden Age printmakers 1560s births 1629 deaths Artists from Antwerp Glass engravers Dutch glass artists