Gaspar de Crayer

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Portrait of Ferdinand of Spain as Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo (1639)

Gaspar de Crayer (also: Jasper , Gaspard or Caspar de Crayer ; born November 18, 1584 in Antwerp , † January 27, 1669 in Ghent ) was a Flemish painter who is known for his many altarpieces and portraits.

Live and act

Gaspar de Crayer was the son of his father of the same name Gaspard I. de Crayer and Christine van Abshoven († 1592), his cousin was Ferdinand van Apshoven the elder . The father worked as an art dealer, lighting technician and decorative painter. He is entered in the files of the St. Luke's Guild as a teacher in 1587 and 1589 and as dean in 1608 and 1621.

Caspar de Crayer received his education in the school of Raphael van Coxcie (1540 Mechelen - 1616 Brussels), the son of Michiel Coxcie . In keeping with the times, he was taught the rendering of nudes and robed figures using Italian Renaissance works . After Crayer had received the freedom of master craftsman on November 3, 1607, he joined the Brussels painters' guild in 1607 and trained apprentices himself from 1610. The elevation to the master's rank is the first mention of this artist.

Lamentation of Christ (1649–1656)

From 1612 he was in the service of Archduke Albrecht VII of Habsburg , for whom he bought several works of art. He then worked at the court of Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain as archer noble . In 1614/15 and 1615/16 the Brussels painters' guild granted him the dean's office. From 1620 to the 1630s he was finally in the service of his patron and patron Jacobus Boonen, the Archbishop of Mechelen . Several commissioned works were created for Affligem Abbey . Crayer's portrait of Archbishop Boonen is handed down in the engraving by Paulus Pontius . In the meantime, Crayer also held the office of councilor in Brussels in 1626/27.

From 1635 Crayer was active in Ghent and created the series of six pictures as decoration for the entry of the Infante. After Isabella's death, Ferdinand of Spain , the Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo and son of King Philip III. of Spain , Crayer's appointment as court painter , which exempted him from all taxes. This position at court was confirmed to him after Ferdinand's death by Philip IV of Spain and renewed by the new governor of the Spanish Netherlands , Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria . The new client preferred von Crayer pictures with a religious theme, which resulted in many works under the sign of Counter-Reformation sacred art. Around 1640 he completed the works of Peter Paul Rubens for Philip IV .

Gaspar de Crayer was married to Catharina Janssens van Duveland from Antwerp since 1613. Crayer died on January 27, 1669, leaving no descendants.

Crayer's oeuvre includes hundreds of altarpieces, a few profane subjects and portraits. He painted a lot on a large scale, and the churches of Ghent display many of his paintings. Pictures of him can also be found in Antwerp, Munich, Amberg and elsewhere.

style

Crayer's early work is in the Romanesque tradition, inspired in motif and composition by Marten de Vos and Hendrik de Clerck . In his works he shows himself to be completely dependent on his respective models, especially Rubens, but remains behind in the color, which falls into the cooler and violet with him, and the liveliness of the composition. The Judgment of Solomon , the Assumption of Mary and the Pietà by Crayer result from Rubens' same treatment of the subject. Further motifs borrowed from Rubens suggest personal contact between the artist. In Afflingen, for example, Rubens and Crayer were active at the same time. Rubens painted the carrying of the cross for the high altar, which was removed after his death, whereas Crayer's work was preserved in accordance with the sentiments of the client.

Caritas Romana (around 1645)

Anthonis van Dyck portrayed him in 1627 and 1632 (half-length portrait in Vienna, Liechtenstein collection; grisaille in the Duke of Buccleuch collection), and this portrait became the subject of several engravings. Crayer's self-portrait is in the Schleissheim gallery . Crayer's narrower physiognomies and the opening of the background of his portraits result from the works of van Dyck. After 1640, the Venetian fashion becomes noticeable with festivity and splendor in his works. The harmony of the group composition and the colors are evident. After 1644 his compositions became more dynamic. Gray and yellowish tones without strong contrasts of light with exaggerated sentimentality, superficial gestures and copies of his own types now characterize his works.

Jan van Cleve , who retouched and partially completed Crayer's works, was part of his workshop . The landscapes in his paintings are sometimes by Jacques d'Artois and Lucas de Vadder , the depictions of animals by Pieter Boel . It is questionable whether Jan Boeckhorst was a member of Crayer's workshop during his time in Brussels. Despite piecework and little ingenuity, Crayer's compositions are considered excellent.

drawings

The drawings for his paintings testify to the working methods of Crayer and his workshop. Due to the short, discontinuous brushstroke, his models have the character of a sketch. He drew the repetitions of his and other artists' paintings in brown, gray or red-brown ink over a black and chalky sketch. Presumably they were used in the workshop as templates for painting replicas. Numerous chalk studies as preparation for portraits have been handed down and are attributed to Crayer.

Alongside Rubens and van Dyck, Caspar Crayer is considered one of the most important Flemish painters of saints. The Viennese collection of the House of Habsburg and the Ludwig XVI gallery . in Versailles acquired Crayer's paintings as a result of secularization .

Places of his works (selection)

Christ on the cross with Magdalena and Francis (1638–1648)

Works (selection)

Philip IV (Spain) (1627-1628)
  • 1619 Job , canvas, 263 × 191 cm. Toulouse (Haute-Garonne), Musée des Augustins.
  • 1620 Judgment of Salomonis , Ghent Museum after Rubens' judgment of Solomon , 1618/20, Copenhagen
  • 1621 Portrait of King Philip IV for the Chamber of the Count of Brabant
  • 1622 portrait of Isabell de Bourbon , dsgl.
  • 1639 Cardinal Infant Ferdinand
  • 1621–22 posthumous prince portraits
  • Jean-Jacques Chifflet , personal physician to Archduchess Isabella, for Nicolas Claude Fabri de Peiresc (Rubens' scholar and friend)
  • Philipp IV. , Portrait in life size coll. Don Diego Messia Felipe de Guzman y Haro, Marquis de Leganes (Spanish diplomat, art collector, lived in the Spanish Netherlands 1627–28)
  • Archduke Albert , portrait, the like.
  • Cardinal Infant Ferdinand , like.
  • two equestrian portraits of the Comte-duc d'Oliveres , dsgl. This u. He painted other equestrian portraits based on Rubens' models.
  • Cardinal Infant Ferdinand , portrait for the same, as a gift to his brother Philip IV of Spain
  • Life of Charles V , drafts for a series of tapestries depicting Don Francisco de Moncada, Duke d'Aytona as the donor
  • 1622 St. Catherine , canvas, 242 × 188 cm. Grenoble, Musée des Beaux-Arts. Inspired by Rubens' erection of the cross , Antwerp
  • St. Therese , canvas, 320 × 220 cm. Vienna, Art History Museum.
  • 1644 The introduction of Mary to the Temple , oil on canvas, 213.5 × 158 cm (without frame), Recklinghausen, Institute for City History - Retro Station
  • 1646 Enthroned Mary with Holy Canvas, 594 × 385 cm. Munich, Theatinerkirche S. Kajetan (from the Alte Pinakothek)
  • 1642 Four Martyrs Canvas, 305 × 225 cm. Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts.
  • 1658 Madonna with saints , altarpiece, Martinskirche, Amberg (Bavaria), after Rubens' painting in the Augustinerkirche, Antwerp
  • Adoration of the Magi , St. Martin, Kortrijk , Rubens' first influences can be seen
  • Lament of Job , influence of Rubens
  • Alexander the Great and Diogenes . The city of Ghent donated this work to Joséphine de Beauharnais in 1803 .

literature

  • Adolphe Siret:  Crayer, Kaspar de . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 4, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1876, pp. 571-573.
  • K. Zoege von Manteuffel: Crayer, Jaspar or Caspar de in: Thieme Becker
  • T.Castor: Crayer (Craeyer), Gaspard (Caspar; Gaspard II; Jasper) in: Saur (AKL)

Web links

Commons : Gaspar de Crayer  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Crayer, Gaspar de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Crayer, Caspar de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Flemish painter
DATE OF BIRTH November 18, 1584
PLACE OF BIRTH Antwerp
DATE OF DEATH January 27, 1669
Place of death Ghent