Jan de Beijer

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Portrait of Jan de Beijers by Cornelis Pronk, ca.1750

Jan de Beijer (born September 24, 1703 in Aarau , Switzerland ; † February 15, 1780 in Rees or Doesburg , Netherlands ) was a draftsman of city and village views as well as castles and palaces.

Family, youth

Since he lived in Holland for decades, his parents were of Dutch origin and his father, Johan Jacob de Beijer (* December 20, 1654 in Basel , † June 11, 1719 in Emmerich ) professionally recruited young men for the Dutch armed forces in Switzerland he classified as Dutch by most art historians . De Beijer was barely six when the Reformed family moved to Emmerich. The father became a member of the Reformed Congregation, which at that time had just moved into a new church building ( Christ Church ) designed by a Dutch architect on the Emmericher Geestmarkt .

There is evidence that Jan de Beijer attended grammar school in Emmerich . It is not known whether he passed the Abitur.

De Beijer had two older brothers: Johan Jacob, who later became a lawyer in Vierlingsbeek (now the municipality of Boxmeer , Netherlands) and with whom Jan de Beijer often stayed in the summer; and Johan Andries (Johann Andreas), who was alderman of the city of Emmerich and was involved in negotiations with the French on behalf of Emmerich during the Seven Years' War .

Klevian period

Around 1722 Jan de Beijer went to Amsterdam to learn the art of drawing from Cornelis Pronk . This Cornelis Pronk, born in Amsterdam in 1691 and died there in 1759, was the most famous topographic draftsman in the Netherlands at the time. Pronk visited the area around Kleve in June 1731 and his notes show that he visited de Beijer there, who was already a well-known draftsman at the time. De Beijer traveled from Emmerich or Vierlingsbeek through the area of ​​today's provinces Limburg , Gelderland , Noord-Brabant (only the mostly eastern part) and through the area around Kleve, Emmerich, Goch , Wesel and Uerdingen . Like his teacher Pronk, he made so-called nature studies on site, which he later worked out into one or more drawings at home. Many of his works were included as illustrations in books (including Het Verheerlykt Nederland - "The Glorified Netherlands", 1745–1774, 9 volumes). In the 18th century, wealthy Dutch people loved to collect books with precisely drawn city or village views; the drawings were also available individually. The city of Kleve was so popular with them as a health resort that pictures of this city were also taken in Het Verheerlykt Nederland .

Amsterdam period

In 1751, de Beijer, who had previously traveled to Amsterdam several times to draw and sell his works, finally moved to the Dutch capital. From then on he mostly painted cityscapes in Amsterdam and Utrecht and in the vicinity of these cities. In the meantime he had learned to make oil paints . His teacher was the painter Johann Moritz Quinckhardt from Rees (born 1688, died 1772). These paintings, of which fewer than five still exist, are artistically but not top-class. At least until 1765 he made his drawings, the proceeds of which enabled de Beijer to live a fairly prosperous life.

De Beijer probably founded a drawing company together with colleagues. Drawings from the years 1759 and 1760 have survived that show de Beijer and other draftsmen during a pleasure trip on the trek barge to Haarlem . These pictures are in the Amsterdam Municipal Archives.

However, Jan de Beijer spent his old age back in Klever Land (where exactly is unknown). He died either in Hueth Castle in Rees or during a visit to his brother Johann Andreas in Doesburg on February 15, 1780.

Exhibited works by de Beijer

Works by de Beijer can be viewed in the following houses, among others.

Many of de Beijer's drawings, which until a few years ago were available in art dealers at affordable prices, are privately owned.

Web links

Commons : Jan de Beijer  - collection of images, videos and audio files