Jan Asselijn (1610 - 1652)

Jan Asselijn

Jan Asselijn, known by his nickname Little Crab (Crabbetje, Krabbetje), was a French and Dutch painter of the Golden Age of Dutch painting.

As a child, Asselijn moved with his family from France to Amsterdam, studied and lived in Italy, where he became a member of the artists' society "Migratory Birds". And he received the nickname Crabbetje because of his physical features - small stature and a damaged arm.

Asselijn painted mainly scenes of horses, cavalry attacks and battles. His works also include genre works, landscapes and animals. Asselijn's most famous painting in this genre is The Frightened Swan, although it is also attributed allegorical meaning.