Jan van Huysum
Jan van Huysum (born April 15, 1682 in Amsterdam ; † February 8, 1749 there ) was a Dutch painter whose works were in great demand in the 18th century.
Life
Under the direction of his father Justus van Huysum (1659–1716), Huysum devoted himself to landscape painting and did not begin to paint pieces of flowers and fruit until he was more mature, deviating from the previous manner on a light background.
His flower pieces are characterized by the extraordinary delicacy and smoothness of the brushwork and in this respect exceeded everything previously achieved, which is why he was called the “phoenix of flower and fruit painters”.
He used to paint bouquets of tulips, hyacinths, roses, carnations, poppies, primroses and other garden flowers in vases on marble tables, along with grapes, peaches, bird nests with eggs and the like.
His later works are more fleeting, just as his pieces of fruit are less valuable. He died in Amsterdam on February 8, 1749, leaving his wife and 20,000 guilders. The galleries of Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Dresden and Petersburg preserve masterpieces by Huysum.
His older brother Jacob van Huysum (1680–1740 in London) was a skilled copyist of the works of Huysum as well as C. Lorrains, G. Poussins and others. A younger brother named Justus van Huysum (1685–1707) provided good battle pictures, but died at the age of 21.
Stolen painting
During the Nazi occupation of Italy, a Wehrmacht soldier stole a valuable painting by van Huysum from the Galleria Palatina in the Florentine Palazzo Pitti . It was Vaso con fiori , one of the many flower pictures by the Dutch artist. In 1944 the work of art was in a villa in Montagnana . In 2019 it was made public that the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is demanding the return of the painting, which, according to the director of the Uffizi Gallery, Eike Schmidt , is with a family in Germany. The plant appeared in 1991 after the reunification of Germany and since then various "intermediaries" have asked the Italian authorities for a transfer fee. "Such an absurd demand that the Florence public prosecutor recently opened an investigation," said the Uffizi. The painting is in the possession of the Italian state and is therefore not “available or sold”. “Germany has a moral duty to return this work to our museum,” said Schmidt. The painting was returned on July 19, 2019 in the presence of the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas .
Works (selection)
- Flowers, 1706, canvas, 89 × 72 cm. Hamburg, art gallery.
- Flowers in a terracotta vase, 1736–1737, canvas, 134 × 92 cm. London, National Gallery.
- Flowers in a Vase, 1726, wood, 79 × 59 cm. London, Wallace Collection .
- Flowers and fruits on a marble tablet, 1727–1728, wood, 80 × 60 cm. Schwerin, State Museum.
- Fruits, copper, 51 × 43 cm. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum.
Web links
- Works by Jan van Huysum at Zeno.org .
Individual evidence
- ↑ History Collection: Vase of Flowers by Jan van Huysum , accessed on January 1, 2019
- ↑ ORF : Uffizi Gallery stole pictures back during the Nazi era , January 1, 2019
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Huysum, Jan van |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 15, 1682 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Amsterdam |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 8, 1749 |
| Place of death | Amsterdam |