Nicolaas van Eyck

Infantry Battle at a Bridge

Nicolaas van Eyck I or Nicolaas van Eijck (I) (1617, Antwerp – 1679, Antwerp), was a Flemish painter of landscapes, equestrian and battle scenes and portraits.

Life

Nicolaas van Eyck was born in Antwerp as the son of the tailor Nicolaas van Eyck and Joanna Ros.[1] He became a pupil in Antwerp of the important genre and history painter Theodoor Rombouts under whom he started to study in 1632.[2]

A scene of rebellion

He was a captain of a local schutterij and this may be a reason why he painted military scenes.[3]

He was friends with the flower painter Jan Philip van Thielen, who had also been a pupil of Rombouts. Van Eyck was godfather to at least one of van Thielen's nine children.[4]

He was the teacher of Pieter Hofman. His sons Nicolaas II and Jan Carel van Eyck became painters.[2] Jan Carel was a student of Jan Erasmus Quellinus and spent time in Italy.[5]

Work

Nicolaas van Eyck is principally known for his landscapes with soldiers and horsemen engaged in battle or resting.[2] He painted a number of compositions representing scenes of urban warfare and rebellion.[6] An example is a Scene of a rebellion (Hospitalfield Arts) depicting a rebellion in a city. It depicts a group of armed men are firing into an unarmed, unperturbed crowd. The front row of the crowd being shot at consists of three men who have their back turned towards the shooters.[7]

Portrait of a drinking man

Van Eyck also painted tronie-like portraits such as the Portrait of a drinking man (sold at Van Ham).[8] He further painted the Equestrian Portrait of a Young Gentleman with his Squire in front of a Peristyle (Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille).

References

  1. ↑ Frans Jozef Peter Van den Branden, Geschiedenis der Antwerpsche schilderschool, Antwerpen, 1883, p. 1013-1014 (Dutch)
  2. 1 2 3 Nicolaas van Eyck at the Netherlands Institute for Art History (Dutch)
  3. ↑ Cornelis de Bie, Het Gulden Cabinet, 1660, p. 388 (Dutch)
  4. ↑ Jan Philip van Thielen at the Netherlands Institute for Art History (Dutch)
  5. ↑ Jan Carel van Eyck at the Netherlands Institute for Art History (Dutch)
  6. ↑ Nicolaas van Eyck at Balat
  7. ↑ A Scene of Rebellion by Nicolaas van Eyck at BBC your paintings
  8. ↑ Nicolaas van Eyck (1617 Antwerpen - 1679 Antwerpen), Porträt eines trinkenden Mannes at Van Ham (German)
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