View source for Jacob Huysmans

{{Short description|Flemish portrait painter (d. 1696)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
[[File:Huysmans - Catherine of Braganza - Government Art Collection .jpg|thumb|''Portrait of Queen Catharine'']]

'''Jacob Huysmans'''<ref>Also known as: Jacob Houseman, Jacob Huisman, Jacob Huysman</ref> (c. 1633&ndash;1696) was a [[Flemish people|Flemish]] portrait painter who, after training in his native [[Antwerp]], immigrated to [[England]] before the [[Restoration (England)|Restoration]].  He became a feted court painter and attracted the patronage of the Portuguese born queen [[Catherine of Braganza]], a Catholic like himself, of whom he painted several portraits.<ref name=oliv>Oliver Millar. "Huysmans, Jacob." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 2 July 2017</ref> With his exuberant style, he was during his lifetime regarded as an important rival of the court painter [[Peter Lely]] who favored a more sober treatment of his sitters.<ref name=mould>[http://philipmould.com/browse-artists/jacob-huysmans Jacob Huysmans, ''Portrait of General Monck'']{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at Philip Mould</ref><ref name=lel>Clarissa Campbell Orr, ''Queenship in Britain, 1660-1837: Royal Patronage, Court Culture, and Dynastic Politics'', Manchester University Press, 2002, pp. 60–61</ref><ref name=wil>[http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/old-master-british-paintings-evening-l14033/lot.42.html Jacob Huysmans, ''Portrait of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester''] at Sotheby's</ref>

==Life==
He is believed to have been born in [[Antwerp]].  A number of his family members also became artists: he was the uncle of [[Cornelis Huysmans|Cornelis]] and [[Jan Baptist Huysmans]], both landscape painters.  Huysmans trained in Antwerp and was a pupil of the history painters [[Gillis Backereel]] and [[Frans Wouters]].<ref name=oliv/>
[[File:Jacob Huysmans - Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield, and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy as children.jpg|thumb|250px|left|''Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield, and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy as children'']]

Huysmans moved to England, according to some sources before the [[Restoration (England)|Restoration]] in 1660.  He is first recorded in England in 1662.  Here he first started out as a painter of pastiches in a reduced format of history paintings by [[Anthony van Dyck]].<ref name=oliv/> He subsequently was able to establish himself as a portrait painter at the court of Charles II. As a Roman Catholic he was in particular favoured by the Queen [[Catharine of Braganza]], a Catholic from Portugal.<ref name=wil/> The famous diarist [[Samuel Pepys]] visited the workshop of Huysman (to whom he referred as 'Hiseman') in Westminster on 26 August 1664 and described Huysmans as a 'picture-drawer ... which is said to exceed Lilly ([[Peter Lely|Lely]]), and indeed there is both of the Queenes and Mayds of Honour (particularly Mrs. Stewart's in a buff doublet like a soldier) as good pictures, I think, as ever I saw.'<ref>[http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1664/08/26 The Diary of Samuel Pepys, Friday 26 August 1664]</ref> [[:File:Jacob Huysmans - Queen Catharine as a Shepherdess.jpg|''Queen Catharine as a Shepherdess'']] (c. 1664, British [[Royal Collection]]) and the ''Queen as [[St Catherine of Alexandria]]'' (of which there are various versions) were among the pictures Pepys saw on that occasion.<ref name=wil/>

While he spent the majority of his career in London, Huysmans resided for a while in [[Chichester]] in Sussex following the [[Great Fire of London]].  This may have been to escape the threat of anti-Catholic retaliation prevalent in London at this time.<ref name=mould/> Allegations that Catholics had started the fire were exploited as powerful political propaganda by opponents of pro-Catholic Charles II's court, mostly during the [[Popish Plot]] and the exclusion crisis later in Charles' reign.<ref>{{cite encyclopaedia | last = Porter | first = Stephen | title = The great fire of London | encyclopaedia = Oxford Dictionary of National Biography | publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] | date = October 2006 | url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/themes/95/95647.html | accessdate =28 November 2006 }}</ref>
[[File:Jacob Huysmans - Elizabeth Cornwallis, Mrs Edward Allen (d. 1708), as Diana the Huntress.jpg|thumb|250px|''Elizabeth Cornwallis, Mrs Edward Allen (d. 1708), as Diana the Huntress'']]

Huysmans died in Jermyn Street, London, in 1696, and was buried in St. James's Church in [[Piccadilly]], a church for which he had painted an altarpiece in the chapel of the Queen.<ref>[[s:Huysmans, Jacob (DNB00)|Jacob Huysmans]], National Dictionary of Biography</ref><ref name=mould/>

==Work==
===General===
Jacob Huysmans was principally a portrait painter.  Upon his arrival in England he did, however, rely on his skills as a history painter creating small pastiches of religious and mythological scenes by [[Anthony van Dyck]].<ref name=oliv/> Even after having established himself as a portrait painter to the elite, he still painted history subjects and is known to have created religious compositions for his patron Queen Catherine of Braganza.<ref name=tate>[http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/huysmans-portrait-of-a-lady-as-diana-t00901 Tabitha Barber, ''Jacob Huysmans, Portrait of a Lady, as Diana''] at Tate Britain</ref> His religious and historical paintings are more sober in style than his portraits.<ref name=mould/>

Huysmans influenced [[David des Granges]] (1611–1675).<ref>[https://rkd.nl/explore/artists/40836 Jacob Huysmans] at the [[Netherlands Institute for Art History]]</ref>

Huysmans' style has been described as exuberant, a quality that made it particularly appealing to the Portuguese-born Queen Catherine.  His style and handling of paint and application of colour are close to the Italianate Baroque style of Anthony van Dyck.  His palette is characterized by the use of high-keyed colours, reddish lights in the flesh tones, and a smooth, glossy finish.  Huysmans was particularly skilled in rendering the rich colours and textures of sumptuous clothes worn at the court.  He liked showing the interplay of light, colour and contrasting textures, crumpled satin against porcelain skin or glossy ringlets interwoven with jewel-like flowers.  Huysmans had a preference for depicting his sitters in costume and with props placed in theatrical settings and including allegorical symbols.  The grandeur he bestowed on his sitters evokes the work of the Italian painter [[Guido Reni]] and the 17th-century Bolognese school.<ref name=mould/>
[[File:John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale by Jacob Huysmans.jpg|thumb|250px|left|''John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale'']]

Huysmans painted many of his female sitters as shepherdesses with clothing embellished with embroidery and jewellery.  He also often depicted female sitters as religious or classical figures. Three renderings of ladies in the role of the Roman goddess [[Diana (mythology)|Diana]] by his hand are known: the [[:File:Jacob Huysmans - Lady Elizabeth Pope (1660–1719), Lady Lee, Later Countess of Lindsey, as Diana.jpg|''Lady Elizabeth Pope as Diana'']] (Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire), [[:File:Jacob Huysmans - Elizabeth Cornwallis, Mrs Edward Allen (d. 1708), as Diana the Huntress.jpg|''Elizabeth Cornwallis, Mrs Edward Allen, as Diana the Huntress'']] (National Trust, Hatchlands) and [[:File:Jacob Huysmans - Portrait of a lady as Diana.jpg|''Portrait of an unknown lady as Diana'']] ([[Tate Britain]]).  These portraits follow a standard format depicting Diana with a hunting spear, together with a few hounds from her hunting pack and sharply delineated drapery.  The presentation was aimed to highlight the beauty, purity and chastity of the sitter.<ref name=tate/> The pose of the goddess as well as the greyhounds with star studded collar are likely references to the [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]] who in popular Catholic images of the [[Immaculate Conception]] was often depicted with a crown of stars.<ref>[http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/494922 Jacob Huysmans, ''Elizabeth Cornwallis, Mrs Edward Allen (d. 1708), as Diana the Huntress''] at the National Trust</ref>

In a similar pastoral vein are situated some portraits of children by Huysmans.  Examples are the [[:File:Jacob Huysmans (Attr.) - A family portrait of three aristocratic children with a sheep decorated with a floral wreath and a dog.jpg|''Family portrait of three aristocratic children with a sheep decorated with a floral wreath and a dog'']] (At Dorotheum Vienna on 19 April 2016 lot 258) and the [[:File:Jacob Huysmans - Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield, and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy as children.jpg|''Portrait of Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield, and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy as children'']] ([[National Gallery of Victoria]]).<ref name=dor>[https://www.dorotheum.com/en/auctions/current-auctions/kataloge/list-lots-detail/auktion/11686-old-master-paintings/lotID/258/lot/2029579-jacob-huysmans.html Jacob Huysmans (Attributed), ''A family portrait of three aristocratic children with a sheep decorated with a floral wreath and a dog'']{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at Dorotheum</ref> The latter work depicts Edward Henry Lee (1663–1716), a Catholic and Charlotte Fitzroy, the illegitimate and preferred daughter of Charles II and his mistress Barbara Villiers.  The two had become betrothed as children and Huysmans' painting shows the pair as children.  The painting contains hidden allusions to the Catholic faith, which was illegal at the time despite Charles II's religious tolerance.  The peacock symbolizes the resurrection of Christ and Christ as a gardener.<ref>[https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/94683 Jacob Huysmans, 'Portrait of Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield, and his wife Charlotte Fitzroy as children''] at the [[National Gallery of Victoria]])</ref>
[[File:Jacob Huysmans (c. 1633-96) - Frances Stewart, later Duchess of Richmond (1647-1702) - RCIN 405876 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|240px|''[[Frances Stewart, Duchess of Richmond|Frances Stewart, later Duchess of Richmond]]'']]

===Portraits of the Queen===
One of the most important patrons of Huysmans was Queen Catherine of whom he painted many portraits.  In 1683, Catherine also commissioned an opulent altarpiece and cupola for her Chapel in St James's Palace in London.<ref name=shep>[https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/405665/catherine-of-braganza-1638-1705 Jacob Huysmans, ''Queen Catherine as a Shepherdess''] at the Royal Collection Trust</ref> The quantity of portraits Huysmans painted of the Queen and her maids of honour suggest that he was her principal painter.  Possibly the Queen favored Huysmans to distance herself from her husband's mistress [[Barbara Villiers]], who patronized Lely.<ref name=cat>[https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/405880/catherine-of-braganza-1638-1705 Jacob Huysmans, ''Queen Catherine of Braganza as Saint Catherine of Alexandria''] at the Royal Collection of the United Kingdom.</ref>

His portrait of [[:File:Jacob Huysmans - Queen Catharine as a Shepherdess.jpg|''Queen Catharine as a Shepherdess'']] (c. 1664, British [[Royal Collection]]) is one of his most famous paintings, and is the one which Pepys saw in his studio and had caused him to praise Huysmans abundantly.  Catherine is depicted in the guise of a shepherdess, sitting by a stream.  A sprig of orange blossom in her hair symbolizes love, marriage and fruitfulness.  Her left hand rests on the head of a lamb, possibly a symbol of the virtues of innocence, purity and humility.  A Cupid is bringing her flowers in a large handkerchief.  Other small cupids play among the trees in the background.<ref name=shep/>

Another portrait of the Queen seen by Pepys in Huysmans' studio was a depiction of the Queen as Saint Catherine of Alexandria of which various versions exist of which [[:File:Jacob Huysmans - Queen Catherine of Braganza as Saint Catherine of Alexandria.jpg|one]] in the Royal Collection of the United Kingdom.  The Queen is portrayed as St. Catherine of Alexandria, with a martyr's palm in her right hand and her left resting upon the broken wheel on which the Catholic saint was martyred. The Queen was born on the feast of St. Catherine and being painted as the saint became a fashionable way for female courtiers to demonstrate respect to the new Queen.<ref name=cat/>

===Portrait of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester===
[[File:Jacob Huysmans - Portrait of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester 1.jpg|thumb|240px|''Portrait of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester'']]

Another well-known painting by Huysmans is the [[:File:Jacob Huysmans - Portrait of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester 1.jpg|''Portrait of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester'']], the famous rake, poet and [[courtier]] at King [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]'s court (The original auctioned at Sotheby's London on 9 July 2014 lot 42, a [[:File:John Wilmot2.jpg|copy]] in the [[National Portrait Gallery, London]]).  The composition was likely painted not long before Rochester's death.  An important variation in the copy of the portrait in the National Portrait Gallery is the addition of red shoulder tabs to his costume which has the effect of 'normalizing' the image.<ref name=roc>Nicholas Fisher, ''That Second Bottle: Essays on the Earl of Rochester'', Manchester University Press, 15 December 2000, pp. 85–86</ref>

Rochester is believed to have contributed important elements to the design of the composition, in particular, the monkey.  Rochester is known to have kept a pet monkey, which he allegedly trained to defecate on people and probably served as the model for the painting.<ref name=wil/>

The composition portrays Rochester holding a manuscript in one hand and apparently bestowing the poet's laurels on a monkey with the other.  The monkey has torn pages from a book which he is handing back to the poet.  Monkeys feature prominently in Rochester's writing in which they serve as a symbol of the folly and presumption of man. The painting could therefore be read as a satirical and self-deprecating depiction of Rochester.<ref name=wil/>

Other interpretations of the portrait have been offered.  Some art historians have posited that it should be read as a satire on [[John Dryden]], the English poet with whom Rochester had a tense relationship.  In this interpretation, Rochester's right hand is seen as removing the laurel rather than bestowing it.  When someone is crowned with a laurel it would normally be done using both hands not one hand.  The monkey would represent John Dryden who is being 'de-laureled' by Rochester, a threat which Rochester had made in his ''Allusion to Horace''.<ref name=roc/>

==References==
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==External links==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Huysmans, Jacob}}
[[Category:1630s births]]
[[Category:1696 deaths]]
[[Category:17th-century Flemish painters]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Flemish portrait painters]]
[[Category:Flemish history painters]]
[[Category:Flemish Baroque painters]]
[[Category:Painters from Antwerp]]
[[Category:Belgian expatriates in England]]
[[Category:Catherine of Braganza]]