Christiaen van Couwenbergh - The prodigal son

Christiaen van Couwenbergh, (8 July 1604 – 4 July 1667)Couwenbergh, Christiaen Gillisz. van
at the RKD databases was a

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and art an ...

painter.

Biography

Couwenbergh was born in

Delft Delft () is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, and The Hague, to the northwest. Together with them, it is part of both the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan ...

. His father Gillis was a silversmith, engraver, and art dealer from

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 ...

. Gillis had moved to Delft before 1604 where he married Adriaantje Vosmaer, the sister of the flower painter

Jacob Vosmaer Jacob Vosmaer (1584, Delft – 1641, Delft) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography According to Houbraken he was born in Delft as a descendant of an old line of Vosmeers.Johan van Nes Johan Dircksz. van Nes (died 1650 in Delft), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography According to Houbraken he was a pupil of Michiel van Mierevelt, and was able to travel on the proceeds of his own painting ability. He travelled in France and I ...

,Kristiaen van Kouwenberch biography
in ''De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen'' (1718) by Arnold Houbraken, courtesy of the

Digital library for Dutch literature The Digital Library for Dutch Literature (Dutch: Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren or DBNL) is a website (showing the abbreviation as dbnl) about Dutch language and Dutch literature. It contains thousands of literary texts, second ...

and then entered the Guild of St. Luke in Delft in 1627. He then travelled back and forth to Italy. After his return, he settled in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's ad ...

where he joined the Confrerie Pictura in 1647 and became deacon in 1649. He specialized in large historical allegories as wall decorations, often with life-sized nudes. He not only painted, but also produced drawings and designs for tapestries. His patrons were

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 la ...

, among other royal admirers, for wall decorations at Huis ter Nieuwburg, Huis ten Bosch and

Huis Honselaarsdijk Huis Honselaarsdijk is a former palace and country residence of the Dutch Stadtholders and princes of Orange which lies about 2.6 km (2 mi) southwest of the border of The Hague, the Netherlands. It was one of the finest examples of Baroque arch ...

. Queen

Christina of Sweden Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December ( New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden in her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his deat ...

purchased a series of tapestries designed by him. He later moved to Cologne between 1654-1656, where he later died. He is known for portraits and historical allegories and is judged to be one of those influenced by Caravaggio.

References

External links

Vermeer and The Delft School
a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has material on Christiaen van Couwenbergh {{DEFAULTSORT:Couwenbergh, Christiaen van 1604 births 1667 deaths Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters Artists from Delft Painters from Delft Painters from The Hague