Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck
Encyclopedia
Johannes Cornelisz. Verspronck (between 1600 and 1603, Haarlem
- buried June 30, 1662, Haarlem) was a gifted Dutch Golden Age
portraitist.
from Gouda
, who taught him to paint portraits. In 1632 he became a member of the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke
and started a successful career as a portraitist of mostly Catholic sitters in Haarlem. He may have been a Frans Hals
pupil, and was strongly influenced by him, especially in his natural expressions and relaxed poses. He is best known for his exactness in painting details such as jewelry and lace, which made him quite popular with female sitters. Most notably, he won a lucrative commission in 1642 for a group portrait of the regentesses of the St. Elisabeth Gasthuis, at the time the wealthiest charity institution in Haarlem. This was won at the expense of Frans Hals himself, who had painted the regents of the St. Elisabeth Gasthuis in 1641 and fully expected to win the commission for the women.
According to Houbraken, he was called "Gerard Sprong", and was the son of the painter Cornelis Engelsz
who made many schuttersstukken that could be seen in the Doelen (he meant the buildings in Haarlem that were used for target practise, and where today the central library
and proveniershuis
are located.
; its current whereabouts are unknown.
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
- buried June 30, 1662, Haarlem) was a gifted Dutch Golden Age
Dutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
portraitist.
Biography
He was the son of the painter Cornelis EngelszCornelis Engelsz
Cornelis Engelsz , was a Dutch Golden Age painter and the father of Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck.-Biography:According to Houbraken he was a pupil of Karel van Mander and a colleague of Frans Hals in Haarlem....
from Gouda
Gouda
Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes, and 15th-century city hall....
, who taught him to paint portraits. In 1632 he became a member of the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke
Haarlem Guild of St. Luke
The Haarlem Guild of Saint Luke was first a Christian, and later a city Guild for a large number of trades falling under the patron saints Luke the Evangelist and Saint Eligius.-History:...
and started a successful career as a portraitist of mostly Catholic sitters in Haarlem. He may have been a Frans Hals
Frans Hals
Frans Hals was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He is notable for his loose painterly brushwork, and helped introduce this lively style of painting into Dutch art. Hals was also instrumental in the evolution of 17th century group portraiture.-Biography:Hals was born in 1580 or 1581, in Antwerp...
pupil, and was strongly influenced by him, especially in his natural expressions and relaxed poses. He is best known for his exactness in painting details such as jewelry and lace, which made him quite popular with female sitters. Most notably, he won a lucrative commission in 1642 for a group portrait of the regentesses of the St. Elisabeth Gasthuis, at the time the wealthiest charity institution in Haarlem. This was won at the expense of Frans Hals himself, who had painted the regents of the St. Elisabeth Gasthuis in 1641 and fully expected to win the commission for the women.
According to Houbraken, he was called "Gerard Sprong", and was the son of the painter Cornelis Engelsz
Cornelis Engelsz
Cornelis Engelsz , was a Dutch Golden Age painter and the father of Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck.-Biography:According to Houbraken he was a pupil of Karel van Mander and a colleague of Frans Hals in Haarlem....
who made many schuttersstukken that could be seen in the Doelen (he meant the buildings in Haarlem that were used for target practise, and where today the central library
Stadsbibliotheek Haarlem
The Stadsbibliotheek Haarlem is a collective namefor all public libraries in the Haarlem area of theNetherlands. The first public library of Haarlem opened in 1921 at thecloisters of the Haarlem City Hall where the academic...
and proveniershuis
Proveniershuis
The Proveniershuis is a hofje in Haarlem, Netherlands.-History:The hofje was founded in 1707 by the city council to house elderly men of low means, called proveniers. The main building is much older than that. The entire site was once a nunnery, called the St...
are located.
Legacy
Verspronck produced about 100 known paintings. His Girl in blue appeared on September 15, 1945, on the bank note for 25 Dutch guilders. The bank note had a circulation of approximately 39 million, and was removed from circulation on February 1, 1953. His portrait of the Amsterdam merchant Jean le Gouche (1634) was in the collection of Hermann Goering. The portrait was auctioned recently, and came from the collection of Jacques GoudstikkerJacques Goudstikker
Jacques Goudstikker was a Jewish Dutch art dealer who fled Holland when it was invaded by Nazis during World War II, leaving an extensive and significant art collection including over 30 "Old Masters" which was looted by the Nazis...
; its current whereabouts are unknown.
External links
- Verspronck in the Rijksmuseum
- Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck on ArtnetArtnetartnet is an online service provider for the international art market with headquarters in New York, Berlin and Paris. Additionally, artnet has regional offices in China, the UK and Russia.- Business model :...
- Works and literature on Johannes Verspronck