Paulus Pontius (May 1603 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,

– 16 January 1658 in Antwerp) was a Flemish engraver and painter. He was one of the leading engravers connected with the workshop of

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 tradit ...

. After Rubens' death, Pontus worked with other leading Antwerp painters such as

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 ...

and

Jacob Jordaens Jacob (Jacques) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and tapestry designer known for his history paintings, genre scenes and portraits. After Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, he was the leading ...

.Max Rooses, ''Rubens'', Volume 1, 1904, London, Druckworth & Co., p. 333–334Paulus Pontius (I)
at The Netherlands Institute for Art History

Life

Paulus Pontius was born in Antwerp where he was apprenticed to the still life painter Osias Beert on 3 December 1616. He later worked under the prominent engraver Lucas Vorsterman who taught him the art of engraving.Christine van Mulders. "Pontius, Paulus." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 22 Dec. 2015 Vorsterman had joined Rubens' workshop around 1617 or 1618 and had established himself as Rubens' primary engraver since. In 1626–1627 Pontius was admitted as a master in the Antwerp

Guild 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 iden ...

Paulus Pontius - Body of the dead Christ

Together with Vorsterman,

Schelte a Bolswert Schelte a Bolswert (1586–1659) was a leading Dutch engraver, noted for his works after Rubens and Van Dyck. Life He was born in the town of Bolswert, in Friesland, in 1586. Both he and his older brother, Boetius à Bolswert, worked in Amster ...

and Boetius à Bolswert, Pontius became one of the leading engravers of the first generation who made reproductions after Rubens' works. When Vorsterman left for England in 1624 after he had a conflict with Rubens, Pontius took over from Vorsterman as Rubens' foremost engraver. He even took up lodgings in Rubens' house from 1624 to 1631. Pontius married three times. The names of his successive wives were: Christina Herselin, Catlyne van Eck and Helena Schryvers. He had respectively one son, two sons and three daughters, and one daughter with his spouses. His son François was an engraver and art dealer. By 1634 Pontius was living with his first wife Christina Herselin in the Everdijstraat in the house of his father-in-law. On 26 April 1634 the famous but impoverished genre painter Adriaen Brouwer took up lodgings in his house as the two men were close friends. The same year the pair joined the local

chamber of rhetoric Chambers of rhetoric ( nl, rederijkerskamers) were dramatic societies in the Low Countries. Their members were called Rederijkers (singular Rederijker), from the French word 'rhétoricien', and during the 15th and 16th centuries were mainly inte ...

Violieren.F. Jos. van den Branden, ''Adriaan de Brouwer and Joos van Craesbeeck'', Dela Montagne, 1882, p. 53–54 It has been suggested that Brouwer's painting called ''

Fat man "Fat Man" (also known as Mark III) is the codename for the type of nuclear bomb the United States detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in warfare, the fir ...

'' or ''Luxuria'' (

Mauritshuis The Mauritshuis (; en, Maurice House) is an art museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The museum houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings which consists of 854 objects, mostly Dutch Golden Age paintings. The collection contains works by Johannes Verme ...

), which possibly represents the deadly sin of lust, is at the same time a portrait of Paulus Pontius. Paulus Pontius - Gaspar de Gusman, Count of Olivares

Paulus Pontius - Gaspar de Gusman, Count of Olivares

After Rubens' death in 1640, Pontius created reproductions after the work of, amongst others, Rubens, Anthony van Dyck,

, Pieter van Avont,

Abraham van Diepenbeeck Abraham van Diepenbeeck (9 May 1596 (baptised) – between May and September 1675) was Dutch painter of the Flemish School. Biography Van Diepenbeeck was baptised in 's-Hertogenbosch. After having received a classical education, he becam ...

Anselm van Hulle Anselm van Hulle or Anselmus van Hulle (Gent, 1601 - 1674/1694) was a Flemish painter mainly of portraits whose works were highly prized at the Northern European Courts. He was court painter to the Prince of Orange and was one of the few portrai ...

Gerard Seghers Gerard SeghersGerard Seghers
at the

Gaspar de Crayer Gaspar de Crayer or Jasper de CrayerName variations: Caspar de Crayer and Gaspard de Crayer (18 November 1584 – 27 January 1669) was a Flemish painter known for his many Counter-Reformation altarpieces and portraits. He was a court painter ...

, Gonzales Coques, Frans Luycx, Titian and Velázquez. His pupils included

Alexander Voet the Younger Alexander Voet the Younger or Alexander Voet II (27 June 1637, in Antwerp – 1693/1705) was a Flemish engraver, print artist and publisher. He was the son of Alexander Voet the Elder, one of the leading engravers and publishers in Antwerp in t ...

, Coenraet Waumans and

Frans van den Wyngaerde Frans van den Wyngaerde or Frans van den WijngaerdeHis name is sometimes also spelled Francis vanden Wyngaert (Antwerp, 8 July 1614Antwerp 17 March 1679) was a Flemish printmaker, draughtsman and publisher.Portrait of Gaspar de Gusman, Count of Olivares'', which Pontius made in 1626 after a design by Rubens. This was one of his first important portrait commissions and the success of the print led to many more official commissions.Joost vander Auwera, 'Rubens, l'atelier du génie : autour des oeuvres du maître aux Musées royaux des beaux-arts de Belgique : exposition, Bruxelles, Musées royaux des beaux-arts de Belgique, 14 septembre 2007 - 27 janvier 2008', Lannoo Uitgeverij, 2007, p. 92 In his portraits Pontius conveyed the figures and their expressions in an attractive and faultless manner. This quality of his work made him one of the most sought after engravers for the various publication projects of the prominent portrait painters active in Flanders at the time. He made many of the portrait engravings that were published in van Dyck's ''Iconography'' (Antwerp, c. 1632–44),

Johannes Meyssens Joannes (Johannes, Jan, or Jean) Meyssens (17 May 1612 – 18 September 1670), was a Flemish Baroque painter, engraver, and print publisher. Life He was born in Brussels, but moved to Antwerp at an early age, where he became master of the G ...

' ''Images de divers hommes'',

Cornelis de Bie Cornelis de Bie (10 February 1627 – ) was a Flemish ''rederijker'', poet, jurist and minor politician from Lier. He is the author of about 64 works, mostly comedies. He is known internationally today for his biographical sketches of Flemish a ...

's ''

Het Gulden Cabinet ''Het Gulden Cabinet vande Edel Vry Schilder-Const'' or ''The Golden Cabinet of the Noble Liberal Art of Painting'' is a book by the 17th-century Flemish notary and ''rederijker'' Cornelis de Bie published in Antwerp. Written in the Dutch langu ...

'' (Antwerp, 1661) and

's ''Icones legatorum'' (Antwerp, 1648).

Principal works

Portraits after Van Dyck

*''Paulus Du Pont, or Pontius'', engraver. *''Peter Paul Rubens''. *'' Jacob De Breuck'', architect. *'' Jan Wildens'', painter of Antwerp. Daniel Mytens

*'' Jan van Ravesteyn'', painter of the Hague. *''

Palamedes Palamedesz. (I) Palamedes Palamedesz. (I), Palamedes Palamedesz. the Elder or Palamedes Palamedesz. Stevers (bapt. 6 August 1605, LeithM. Westhoff, 'Fragmentgenealogie van Palamedes Stevensz', Gens Nostra 73 (2018), p. 188-189 – buried 26 March 1638, Delf ...

'', Dutch painter. *'' Theodoor van Loon'', painter of Louvain. *''

Theodoor Rombouts Theodoor Rombouts (2 July 1597 – 14 September 1637) was a Flemish painter who is mainly known for his Caravaggesque genre scenes depicting lively dramatic gatherings as well as religiously-themed works.Hans Vlieghe. "Rombouts, Theodoor." Gr ...

'', painter of Antwerp. *'' Cornelis van der Geest'', celebrated

connoisseur A connoisseur (French traditional, pre-1835, spelling of , from Middle-French , then meaning 'to be acquainted with' or 'to know somebody/something') is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts; who is a keen appreciator o ...

. *''

Gerard Honthorst Gerard van Honthorst (Dutch: ''Gerrit van Honthorst''; 4 November 1592 – 27 April 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who became known for his depiction of artificially lit scenes, eventually receiving the nickname ''Gherardo delle Notti' ...

'', painter of the Hague. *'' Hendrik van Balen'', painter of Antwerp. *'' Adriaen Stalbent'', painter of Antwerp. *''

Daniel Mytens Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...

'', painter of Holland. *''

Gerard Seghers Gerard SeghersGerard Seghers
at the

Simon De Vos Simon de Vos (20 October 1603 in Antwerp – 15 October 1676 in Antwerp) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and art collector. He started his career making small-format cabinet pictures of genre scenes, in particular of Caravaggesque merry co ...

'', painter of Antwerp. *'' Gaspar De Craeyer'', painter of Ghent. *'' Hendrik Steenwyck'', painter of Antwerp. *''

Gaspar Gevartius John Gaspar Gevartius or Jan Caspar Gevaerts (1593-1666) was the jurisconsult of Antwerp and in his lifetime a famous philologist. He was a personal friend of Peter Paul Rubens. Life Gaspar was born in Turnhout on 6 August 1593, the son of Joh ...

'', jurisconsult of Antwerp. *'' Nicolaas Rockox'', magistrate of Antwerp, *''

Jan van den Wouwer Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Num ...

'', Counsellor of State. *''Caesar Alexander Scaglia'', Abbot of Stophard. *'' Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden''. *'' Mary de' Medici, Queen of France''. *'' Francis Thomas, of Savoy, Prince of Carignan''. *'' John, Count of Nassau''. *''Don Alvarez, Marquis of Santa Cruz''. *''Don Carlos de Colonna, Spanish General''. *'' Don Diego Felipe de Guzman, Marquis de Leganez''. *''Mary, Princess of Aremberg''. *''Henry, Count de Berghe, in armour''. *''Sir Balthazar Gerbier''. *''

Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange Frederick Henry ( nl, Frederik Hendrik; 29 January 1584 – 14 March 1647) was the sovereign prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 1625 until his death in 1647. In the last ...

''.

Portraits after Rubens

*'' Philip IV, King of Spain''. 1632. *'' Elizabeth of Bourbon'', his Queen. *''

Isabella Clara Eugenia Isabella Clara Eugenia ( es, link=no, Isabel Clara Eugenia; 12 August 1566 – 1 December 1633), sometimes referred to as Clara Isabella Eugenia, was sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands in the Low Countries and the north of modern France with ...

, infanta of Spain''. *'' Ferdinand, Infant of Spain, on horseback''. *'' Gasparo Guzman, Duke of Olivarez''. *''Cristoval, Marquis of Castel Rodrigo''. *'' Manuel de Moura Cortereal, Marquis of Castel Rodrigo''. *''The Mother of Manuel, Marquis of Castel Rodrigo''.

Various subjects after Rubens

*''Susannah and the Elders''. 1624. *''The Adoration of the Shepherds''. *''The Murder of the Innocents''. In two sheets. 1643. *''The Presentation in the Temple''. *''Christ bearing His Cross''. *''The Crucifixion, with Angels, one of whom is overcoming Sin and Death''. *''The Dead Christ supported by the Virgin, with Mary Magdalen, St. Francis, and other figures''. *''The Descent of the Holy Ghost''. *''The Assumption of the Virgin''. *''The Virgin suckling the Infant Christ''. *''St. Roch interceding with Christ for the Plague-stricken''. *''Thomyris causing the Head of Cyrus to be put into a Vessel of Blood''.

Subjects after various masters

*''The Flight into Egypt''; after

. *''Twelfth-Night''; after Jacob Jordaens. *''The Adoration of the Magi''; after

Gerard Seghers Gerard SeghersGerard Seghers
at the

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 ...

. *''The Body of the Dead Christ''; after

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pontius, Paulus Flemish engravers Flemish Baroque painters 1603 births 1658 deaths 17th-century engravers Painters from Antwerp