Dirk Crabeth
Encyclopedia
Dirk Pietersz Crabeth (1501–1574) was a Dutch
Renaissance
glass painter, tapestry designer, and mapmaker. He was employed by the Janskerk (Gouda)
during the 16th century, where he created eight of the stained glass windows during the years 1555-1571. His windows are one of the reasons that the church was placed on the UNESCO
list of monuments.
were the sons of Pieter Dirckz of Gouda. They came from a painting family that was employed in the glass industry of Gouda. Archival evidence survives today showing orders of glass panes from various Netherlands towns. Dirk's fame began when he won a commission to make a glass pane for the Janskerk after the fire there in 1552. Dirk's first glass depicting St. John the Baptist baptising Jesus, was installed in 1555.
In addition to painting and working with glass, he was a tapestry designer and mapmaker. From his cartoons, or sketches for window panes, he appears to have been influenced by Jan van Scorel
.
and why Dirk and his brother were allowed to continue their work after the changeover from a Catholic church to a Protestant one. The church has windows from both of the enemies Philip II of Spain
and William the Silent
. Dirk Crabeth also made 7 windows for the chapel of an order of monks from Stein, South Holland
, noted as the Augustinian monastery where Erasmus went to school. When their monastery in Steyn burned in 1549, they moved to a former convent in Gouda in 1551. There they ordered windows for the restoration of the chapel of that convent. These windows were rescued during the iconoclastic fury and when the convent complex was torn down in 1580, the windows were temporarily installed afterwards in the Janskerk church. In a painting from 1734 this situation can still be seen. Much later still, they were installed in a specially built van der Vorm chapel in the St Janskerk, donated by Willem van der Vorm, the wealthy founder of the Holland America Line
, in 1934.
Houbraken wote two pages about the brothers Dirk and Wouter Crabeth in his Schouburg (1718), since he was surprised they were overlooked in Karel van Mander's Schilderboeck. In his biographical sketch, he wrote that Gouda had a busy glass painting industry that spanned several generations. He mentions that Van Mander did make note of an Adriaen Pietersz Crabeth who was a student of the painter Jan Swart (ca. 1495-1558) of Groningen. This could possibly be a third brother. In Van Mander's boek he goes on to say that the father of this Adriaen was called Krepel Pieter (Peter the cripple) and that he died in Autun
after travelling for a long time in France.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
glass painter, tapestry designer, and mapmaker. He was employed by the Janskerk (Gouda)
Janskerk (Gouda)
The Sint Janskerk in Gouda, the Netherlands, is a large Gothic church, known especially for its stained glass windows, for which it has been placed on the UNESCO list of Dutch monuments.-History:...
during the 16th century, where he created eight of the stained glass windows during the years 1555-1571. His windows are one of the reasons that the church was placed on the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
list of monuments.
Biography
He and his talented brother Wouter Crabeth IWouter Crabeth I
Wouter Pietersz Crabeth , was a Dutch Renaissance glass painter. He was employed by the Janskerk during the Protestant Reformation, where he created six of the stained glass windows during the years 1555-1571...
were the sons of Pieter Dirckz of Gouda. They came from a painting family that was employed in the glass industry of Gouda. Archival evidence survives today showing orders of glass panes from various Netherlands towns. Dirk's fame began when he won a commission to make a glass pane for the Janskerk after the fire there in 1552. Dirk's first glass depicting St. John the Baptist baptising Jesus, was installed in 1555.
In addition to painting and working with glass, he was a tapestry designer and mapmaker. From his cartoons, or sketches for window panes, he appears to have been influenced by Jan van Scorel
Jan van Scorel
Jan van Scorel was an influential Dutch painter credited with the introduction of High Italian Renaissance art to the Netherlands.-Biography:He was born in Schoorl, north of Alkmaar and close to Egmond Abbey...
.
Legacy
The stained glass windows of Gouda are famous, but this is not only for their beauty. It remains a mystery today why these stained glass windows survived the BeeldenstormBeeldenstorm
Beeldenstorm in Dutch, roughly translatable to "statue storm", or Bildersturm in German , also the Iconoclastic Fury, is a term used for outbreaks of destruction of religious images that occurred in Europe in the 16th century...
and why Dirk and his brother were allowed to continue their work after the changeover from a Catholic church to a Protestant one. The church has windows from both of the enemies Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
and William the Silent
William the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
. Dirk Crabeth also made 7 windows for the chapel of an order of monks from Stein, South Holland
Stein, South Holland
Stein is a small village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Vlist, and lies about 5 km east of Gouda....
, noted as the Augustinian monastery where Erasmus went to school. When their monastery in Steyn burned in 1549, they moved to a former convent in Gouda in 1551. There they ordered windows for the restoration of the chapel of that convent. These windows were rescued during the iconoclastic fury and when the convent complex was torn down in 1580, the windows were temporarily installed afterwards in the Janskerk church. In a painting from 1734 this situation can still be seen. Much later still, they were installed in a specially built van der Vorm chapel in the St Janskerk, donated by Willem van der Vorm, the wealthy founder of the Holland America Line
Holland America Line
The Holland America Line is a cruise shipping company. It was founded in 1873 as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company , a shipping and passenger line. Headquartered in Rotterdam and providing service to the Americas, it became known as Holland America Line...
, in 1934.
Houbraken wote two pages about the brothers Dirk and Wouter Crabeth in his Schouburg (1718), since he was surprised they were overlooked in Karel van Mander's Schilderboeck. In his biographical sketch, he wrote that Gouda had a busy glass painting industry that spanned several generations. He mentions that Van Mander did make note of an Adriaen Pietersz Crabeth who was a student of the painter Jan Swart (ca. 1495-1558) of Groningen. This could possibly be a third brother. In Van Mander's boek he goes on to say that the father of this Adriaen was called Krepel Pieter (Peter the cripple) and that he died in Autun
Autun
Autun is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in Burgundy in eastern France. It was founded during the early Roman Empire as Augustodunum. Autun marks the easternmost extent of the Umayyad campaign in Europe.-Early history:...
after travelling for a long time in France.