Abraham Genoels II
Encyclopedia
Biography
According to Arnold HoubrakenArnold Houbraken
Arnold Houbraken was a Dutch painter and writer from Dordrecht, now remembered mainly as a biographer of artists from the Dutch Golden Age. He had ten children. His son Jacobus Houbraken was an engraver of portraits and book illustrations, including books by his father...
, who devoted 10 pages to him in his compilation of artist biographies called the Schouwburg, he was a good portrait and landscape painter who was taught drawing by Jacob Backereel in Antwerp and Perspective
Perspective (graphical)
Perspective in the graphic arts, such as drawing, is an approximate representation, on a flat surface , of an image as it is seen by the eye...
by Nicolaes Fierlants in Den Bosch. In 1659 he travelled with Georg Remees to Amsterdam in order to go to Paris (wars prevented them from travelling south over land). While waiting for a boat to Paris, he made a tour of all the kunst kabinetten, or art cabinets. Upon arrival in Paris (via Dieppe), he lived at the home of his cousin Laurentius Francken, where he met Francisque Millet
Francisque Millet
Francisque Millet , also known as Jean-François Milée or Millet I, was a Flemish - French painter of the Baroque period.-Biography:...
. Millet, 17 and an art student at the time, lived there also and Genoels taught him perspective. Genoels soon received a commission for tapestry designs from Gi. de la Noire Tapissier. A series of other commissions soon followed and he was admitted to the Académie Royale
Académie de peinture et de sculpture
The Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture , Paris, was founded in 1648, modelled on Italian examples, such as the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. Paris already had the Académie de Saint-Luc, which was a city artist guild like any other Guild of Saint Luke...
in Paris in 1665 by Charles le Brun
Charles Le Brun
Charles Le Brun , a French painter and art theorist, became the all-powerful, peerless master of 17th-century French art.-Biography:-Early life and training:...
. The engraver Gérard Audran
Gérard Audran
Gérard Audran , was a French engraver of the Audran family, the third son of Claude Audran....
helped him learn engraving while they were both working for Le Brun.
He worked for the Gobelins Manufactory
Gobelins manufactory
The Manufacture des Gobelins is a tapestry factory located in Paris, France, at 42 avenue des Gobelins, near the Les Gobelins métro station in the XIIIe arrondissement...
and various leading gentlemen of Paris including François Michel Le Tellier and Louis, Grand Condé (for his Château de Chantilly
Château de Chantilly
The Château de Chantilly is a historic château located in the town of Chantilly, France. It comprises two attached buildings; the Grand Château, destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s, and the Petit Château which was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency...
), before returning to Flanders in 1669. He was accompanied on this journey as far as Amiens by the Flemish painters Jan van Huchtenburg and Adriaen Frans Boudewyns
Adriaen Frans Boudewyns
Adriaan Frans Boudewyns, not Anton Frans , was a Flemish Baroque landscape painter.-Biography:...
. He wanted to travel further, and had plans to travel to Italy with a group leaving from Liege
Liege
Liège is a municipality and a city of Belgium. The term Liège or Liege may also refer to:* Liege, a party to the oath of allegiance in feudalism .* Liège Island, in the Antarctic...
, but this fell through because Bertholet Flemalle
Bertholet Flemalle
Bertholet Flemalle, Flemal, or Flamael was a Flemish Baroque painter.-Biography:The son of a glass painter, he was instructed in his art by Henri Trippet and Gerard Douffet successively. He visited Rome in 1638, and was invited by the Duke of Tuscany to Florence and employed in decorating one of...
, who would join him as far as Liege, missed him by a day when he came to Brussels to make sketches of the Castle of Marimont there for the King's tapestry that he was working on.
Grand Tour
His desire to visit Rome was fulfilled in 1674 when he had earned enough money to finance this undertaking in a comfortable way. He undertook his Grand TourGrand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
with a group led by Marselis Liberechts, who had already been there and back. The other members of the group included Pieter Verbrugghen II (sculptor), Frans Moens of Middelburg, and a Canon of Liege. Further Albert Clouwet (engraver from Antwerp), Abraham van den Heuvel (merchant of Naples), and Soldanio (merchant of Venice). They left Antwerp in September 1674 for Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, and after 4–5 days took a boat down the Rhine to Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, and from there a market ship along the Rhine to Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
. After a stay of 3 days they took a coach to Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, and from there by horse towards Tirol, passing through Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, and over the Brenner Pass
Brenner Pass
- Roadways :The motorway E45 leading from Innsbruck via Bolzano to Verona and Modena uses this pass, and is one of the most important north-south connections in Europe...
to Trento
Trento
Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino...
. From there they descended out of the Alps along the Brenta to Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
, and from there went by boat to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. They then traveled by boat along the Po to Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
, and then went onwards to Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
. After 4 days they took a horse and wagon to various small cities along the way and finally arrived in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He became a member of the Bentvueghels
Bentvueghels
The Bentvueghels were a society of mostly Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome from about 1620 to 1720. They are also known as the Schildersbent .-Activities:...
with the nickname Archimedes. His companion Pieter Verbrugghen was named Ballon, and Frans Moens was named De Vlucht. Genoels sent Houbraken a copy of his "Bentbrief" which was signed by the witnesses to his membership ceremony.
Bentbrief signatures
- Albert Clouwet, nicknamed Zantzak, engraver from Antwerp.
- Gillis de Mont nicknamed Brybergh, painter from Antwerp.
- Gielis vander Meeren nicknamed Voorwint, painter from Antwerp.
- Abraham BrueghelAbraham BrueghelAbraham Brueghel was a Flemish painter from the famous family of artists. He was the son of Jan Brueghel the Younger, the grandson of Jan Brueghel the Elder and the great-grandson of Pieter Brueghel the Elder.-Early life:...
(1631–1690) nicknamed Ryngraaf, painter from Antwerp. - N. van Haringhe nicknamed Mitridaat, pharmacist from Flanders.
- François Monnaville nicknamed de Jeught, painter from Brussels.
- Marcello Liberechts nicknamed Papegay, painter from Antwerp.
- Jan Babtist Breugel nicknamed Meleager, painter from Antwerp.
- Adriaan Honich nicknamed Lossenbruy, painter from Holland.
- Maurits Bibe nicknamed de Mengelaar.
- David De ConinckDavid KoninckDavid Koninck or David de Coninck , also known as Rammelaar was a Flemish painter of the Baroque period. David Koninck was born in Antwerp and studied there under Jan Fyt. After a few years in Paris, he staid in Rome from ca 1671 to 1694, where joined the Bentvueghels with the nickname Rammelaar...
nicknamed de Rammelaar, painter from Antwerp. - Michiel van Barspalm nicknamed de Standvastigheid, painter from Flanders.
- Donauville nicknamed de Winkelhaak, from Antwerp.
- Nicolaas le Grand nicknamed 't Vermaak, from Antwerp.
- Bartolomeus Martens nicknamed de Bocaal, goldsmith from Antwerp.
- Nicolaas PiemontNicolaas PiemontNicolaes Piemont , was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter who travelled to Rome in the 1670s.-Biography:...
nicknamed de Opgang, painter from Holland. - Bartolomeus de Riemer nicknamed de Toetsteen, goldsmith from Antwerp.
- Philippo vander Does nicknamed Orpheus, painter from Antwerp.
- Robbert Duval nicknamed Fortuin, painter from the Hague.
- Jacob De Decker nicknamed de Gulden Regen, painter.
- Francois de Meyer nicknamed de Uitstel, painter from Holland.
- F. Ziereneels nicknamed de Lelie, painter from 's Hertogenbosch.
- Cornelis de BruijnCornelis de BruijnCornelis de Bruijn was a Dutch artist and traveler. He made two large tours and published illustrated books with his observations of people, buildings, plants and animals.- Biography :...
nicknamed Adonis. - F. Matheus nicknamed de Vrome, painter from Antwerp.
Return trip
In 1682 he undertook his return homewards to Antwerp. He rolled his paintings up and placed them inside clay models of antiquities and shipped these ahead. Then along with the engraver Laviron of Antwerp, and two French engravers Cavalier and Monier, he left on 25 April 1682 and travelled over SienaSiena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
, Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, to Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, and then by mule to Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
, and then up the Rhône
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
to Lyons, and then up the Saône
Saône
The Saône is a river of eastern France. It is a right tributary of the River Rhône. Rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department, it joins the Rhône in Lyon....
to Villefranche-sur-Saône
Villefranche-sur-Saône
Villefranche-sur-Saône is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.It lies 1 mile west of the Saône River, and is around north of Lyon...
. From there by horse over the route de Tarare
Tarare
Tarare is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.It lies on the Turdine river, 28 miles west-northwest of Lyon by rail.-History:Pop...
over the mountains to Roanne
Roanne
Roanne is a commune in the Loire department in central France.It is located northwest of Lyon on the Loire River.-Economy:...
on the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
, and from there by boat to Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
, and from there to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he stayed to await his shipment and see old friends. When his ship came in he made a present of a painting to Charles le Brun
Charles Le Brun
Charles Le Brun , a French painter and art theorist, became the all-powerful, peerless master of 17th-century French art.-Biography:-Early life and training:...
, and a much larger one to Colbert
Colbert
Colbert is a common surname and rare given name of Old French and Old German origins; it was introduced to Britain by the Normans.Colbert most commonly refers to:*Stephen Colbert , American comedian and television show host...
. After that he left by carriage to Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, and from there to Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
and Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, arriving on 8 December 1682 in Antwerp, where he still lived when he was in correspondence with Houbraken. He became a member of the Guild of St. Luke there and taught the following pupils:Peeter Beethoven (1689–1690); Gillis Bisschop (1692–1693); and Ferdinandus Goffine (1694–1695).