Jan Wellens de Cock
Encyclopedia
Jan Wellens de Cock was a Flemish
painter and draftsman
of the Northern Renaissance
. He was probably born in Leiden in Holland but settled in Antwerpen.
Little is known about his life and career. In 1506 Jan is recorded in the archives of the Guild of Saint Luke
in Antwerpen as having accepted an apprentice called 'Loduwyck'. It is unclear in which year Jan became a master. Jan Wellens de Cock could be identical with a certain 'Jan Van Leyen' (Jan of Leiden) who became a master in 1503–1504. On 6 August 1502 Jan Wellens de Cock married Clara, the daughter of Peter van Beeringen. Jan Wellens de Cock was probably identical to the 'Jan de Cock' that worked as a servant to the guild of 'Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Lof' for which he executed many commissions over the next few years. In 1507 de Cock was paid for painting angels and restoring the Holy Ghost at the altar of this guild in Antwerp Cathedral. These works were probably lost in the "beeldenstorm
" of 1566. In 1511 the guild paid de Cock for cutting a woodblock for a print to use in the guild's procession. This is the only indication that de Cock, to whom several prints have been attributed, was indeed active as a block cutter.
In 1520 he was dean of the guild of Saint Luke, together with Joos van Cleve
. Jan's artistic activity has been the subject of considerable controversy, and there is not a single work that can be attributed to him with certainty.
He was father to two sons who went on to become fine artists in their own right. Matthys Cock
(1505–1548) was a famous painter of landscapes
and his brother Hieronymus Cock
(1510–1570) originally trained as a painter and landscapist before becoming a prolific publisher and printmaker. As landscape played an important role in the work of both his sons it has often been suggested that the work of de Cock focused on this genre
as well. The works attributed to Jan generally belong to the so called school of Antwerp Mannerism
and/or show the influence of Hieronymus Bosch.
Some links to attributed works:
Flemish painting
Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century. Flanders delivered the leading painters in Northern Europe and attracted many promising young painters from neighbouring countries. These painters were invited to work at foreign courts and had a Europe-wide influence...
painter and draftsman
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
of the Northern Renaissance
Northern Renaissance
The Northern Renaissance is the term used to describe the Renaissance in northern Europe, or more broadly in Europe outside Italy. Before 1450 Italian Renaissance humanism had little influence outside Italy. From the late 15th century the ideas spread around Europe...
. He was probably born in Leiden in Holland but settled in Antwerpen.
Little is known about his life and career. In 1506 Jan is recorded in the archives of the Guild of Saint Luke
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 identified by John of Damascus as having painted the...
in Antwerpen as having accepted an apprentice called 'Loduwyck'. It is unclear in which year Jan became a master. Jan Wellens de Cock could be identical with a certain 'Jan Van Leyen' (Jan of Leiden) who became a master in 1503–1504. On 6 August 1502 Jan Wellens de Cock married Clara, the daughter of Peter van Beeringen. Jan Wellens de Cock was probably identical to the 'Jan de Cock' that worked as a servant to the guild of 'Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Lof' for which he executed many commissions over the next few years. In 1507 de Cock was paid for painting angels and restoring the Holy Ghost at the altar of this guild in Antwerp Cathedral. These works were probably lost in the "beeldenstorm
Beeldenstorm
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...
" of 1566. In 1511 the guild paid de Cock for cutting a woodblock for a print to use in the guild's procession. This is the only indication that de Cock, to whom several prints have been attributed, was indeed active as a block cutter.
In 1520 he was dean of the guild of Saint Luke, together with Joos van Cleve
Joos van Cleve
Joos van Cleve was a painter active in Antwerp around 1511 to 1540. He was born around 1485 and died in between 1540 and 1541...
. Jan's artistic activity has been the subject of considerable controversy, and there is not a single work that can be attributed to him with certainty.
He was father to two sons who went on to become fine artists in their own right. Matthys Cock
Matthys Cock
Matthys Cock or Matthijs Wellens de Cock was a Flemish landscape painter and draughtsman of the Northern Renaissance.-Biography:...
(1505–1548) was a famous painter of landscapes
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
and his brother Hieronymus Cock
Hieronymus Cock
Jérôme or Hieronymus Cock, or Wellens de Cock was a Flemish painter and etcher of the Northern Renaissance, as well as a publisher and distributor of prints.-Biography:...
(1510–1570) originally trained as a painter and landscapist before becoming a prolific publisher and printmaker. As landscape played an important role in the work of both his sons it has often been suggested that the work of de Cock focused on this genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
as well. The works attributed to Jan generally belong to the so called school of Antwerp Mannerism
Antwerp Mannerism
Antwerp Mannerism is the name given to the style of a largely anonymous group of painters from Antwerp in the beginning of the 16th century. The style bore no direct relation to Renaissance or Italian Mannerism, but the name suggests a peculiarity that was a reaction to the "classic" style of the...
and/or show the influence of Hieronymus Bosch.
Some links to attributed works:
- A triptych with a calvary in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
- A woodcut with the 'Temptation of St. Anthony in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
- http://www.dia.org/asp/search/ExecuteSearch.asp?artist=cock%20jan%20de 'Loth and his Daughters' in the Detroit Institute of ArtsDetroit Institute of ArtsThe Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...
.] - 'Temptation of St. Anthony in the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.
- Drawing with the Temptation of St. Anthony' in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.