Decorators 17th century
Guido Ubaldo Abbatini was an Italian Baroque painter, celebrated for his fresco works and significant contributions during the artistic fervor of 17th-century Rome. Born around 1600 in Città di Castello, Umbria, and later active in Rome and Usigni, Abbatini's career was marked by his apprenticeships under prominent artists such as Giuseppe Cesari and Pietro da Cortona. He is also noted for his association with Gian Lorenzo Bernini, under whom he worked on notable projects like the frescoes in the Cornaro Chapel.
Abbatini's works are characterized by their dynamic compositions and vibrant use of color, which were typical of the Baroque movement's dramatic style. His artistic contributions extend to several churches in Rome, where his frescoes continue to be admired for their artistic and historical significance.
For art collectors and enthusiasts interested in Baroque art, Guido Ubaldo Abbatini's works represent a pivotal chapter in Italian art history. His paintings not only reflect the rich cultural heritage of the era but also showcase the evolution of Baroque artistic expressions in Italy.
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Abraham Janszoon Bega, also Abraham Janszoon Begeyn, was a Dutch landscape painter, still life painter, draftsman and decorator.
Abraham's giftedness was appreciated very early and already at the age of 17 he became a member of the professional Guild of St. Luke of Leiden, studied with Harlem painter Nicholas Berchem (1620-1683), traveled extensively in Europe and painted.
Abraham Bega painted many landscapes, including coastal river views, architectural views, with flocks and shepherds. He also painted floral compositions and still lifes with hunting paraphernalia. In 1688 he was invited to Berlin as court painter to Elector Frederick III, but he worked there mainly as an interior decorator and castle painter.
Louis Caravaque was a French portrait painter renowned for his contributions to Russian art during the early 18th century. Born in 1684 in Marseilles, France, Caravaque embarked on his artistic journey influenced by his family's background in decorative painting. His talent soon caught the attention of influential figures, leading to a pivotal contract in 1715 that took him to Russia. There, he famously painted Peter the Great and became a favored artist at the Russian court.
Caravaque's work is distinguished by his detailed and expressive portraiture, which earned him the position of the first court painter during Anna Ioannovna's reign. He played a significant role in the cultural exchanges between France and Russia, melding Western European techniques with Russian traditions. His notable works, which include portraits of Russian royalty and nobility, are held in prestigious collections such as the Hermitage and the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
Among his most celebrated paintings are the portraits of Peter the Great, Empress Elizabeth as an Olympic goddess, and Catherine II, showcasing his skill in capturing the grandeur and intricacy of his subjects. These artworks not only highlight his mastery of oil painting but also reflect the rich historical and cultural milieu of his time.
For collectors and art experts, the legacy of Louis Caravaque offers a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of French artistic influence and Russian imperial identity. His works remain a testament to his skill and the cultural bridge he helped forge between two distinct worlds.
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Pedro de Raxis was a Spanish painter and gilder known for his contributions to the Granadan school of art. Born in 1555 in Alcalá la Real, Jaén, Raxis became a key figure in Granada art of the Counter-Reformation era. Characterized by vivid narrative and Mannerist influences, his works are characterized by intense, luminous colors and delicate composition.
Raxis's career was marked by numerous significant commissions. Among his best-known works are the murals for the church of San Cecilio in Granada (1580), the retablos of Santa María Mayor de Alcaudete (Jaén) and Asunción de María in Granada Cathedral (1615). These works demonstrate his exceptional skill in estofado, a technique involving the gilding and polychroming of statues and altarpieces.
One of Raxis's most famous works is Aparicion de la Virgen a San Jacinto, preserved in the Granada Museum of Fine Arts. This painting, dating from around 1600, represents a significant achievement in Raxis's artistic journey. It illustrates the mystical ecstasy and contemplative rapture characteristic of Spanish Baroque culture. The expressive depth and rich tonal range of the painting became more evident after its restoration in 1998.
Pedro de Raxis's influence extended beyond his paintings. Contemporaries such as Francisco Pacheco praised his mastery of estofado and gilding. Raxis established one of the most prolific and versatile workshops in Granada, which left an indelible mark on the artistic landscape of Andalusia.
For collectors and art experts, Raxis' work remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Granada school. His paintings not only reflect the artistic fervor of the era, but also provide a glimpse into the religious and cultural world of Counter-Reformation Spain.
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Frans Geffels, known in Italy as Francesco Geffels (25 August 1624 – 18 February 1694) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, architect, stage designer and designer of ephemeral structures for solemn and festive occasions. After training in his native Antwerp, he was mainly active in Mantua, where he was prefetto delle fabbriche to the Duke, a role that gave him the direction of the artistic and construction activities undertaken by the Ducal court. He worked also on projects for the local aristocratic class of Mantua. In addition, he completed projects for the Liechtenstein princes and for the imperial court in Vienna.
He was both a canvas and fresco painter. He created portraits, history subjects, military scenes, architectural scenes and genre art, in particular merry companies. Geffels is mainly remembered as the designer of some of the key examples of Baroque architecture in Mantua.
Georg Gsell was a Swiss Baroque painter, art consultant, and art dealer, renowned for his contributions to the arts during the early 18th century. Born in St. Gallen on January 28, 1673, Gsell's journey in the arts took him across Europe. He moved to Amsterdam in 1704, and later to Russia on the invitation of Peter the Great in 1716. In Russia, he served as the first curator of the Imperial art gallery, a significant cultural institution founded in 1720.
Gsell's work is appreciated for its meticulous detail and historical value. He catalogued the Kunstkamera, Russia's first museum, through detailed manuscript forms, a significant contribution to the preservation of early 18th-century European and Russian cultural artifacts. His artworks, which include portraits and still lifes, reflect the Baroque style's complexity and elegance.
For art collectors and experts, Georg Gsell's legacy offers a glimpse into the Baroque period's artistry and the early days of museum curation in Russia. His works and contributions remain subjects of study and admiration in art circles today.
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Pieter Hardimé was a Flemish painter specializing in floral still lifes. Hardimé created many works depicting bouquets in large stone vases or flowers as garlands for garden decorations. He also worked on decorating walls and ceilings in wealthy homes and created decorative murals.
Gerard de Lairesse was a Dutch painter, printmaker, and art theorist. Known for his classical approach, de Lairesse's work marked a departure from the Baroque style prevalent in the Dutch Golden Age, leaning instead towards the neoclassicism that would dominate European art in the 18th century. His art and theories were deeply influenced by the ideals of beauty, grace, and moral edification, advocating for the selection of the most perfect manifestations of natural phenomena rather than their random imitation.
De Lairesse was not only a prolific painter but also an influential art theorist. His treatises, "Grondlegginge ter teekenkonst" (1701) and "Het groot schilderboeck" (1707), were seminal works that laid down principles of art and aesthetics that influenced not just his contemporaries but also generations of artists to come. He emphasized the importance of adhering to theoretical knowledge and the study of nature, albeit through a lens that filtered out its imperfections, to achieve ideal beauty in art.
Despite facing personal challenges, including a congenital condition that led to the loss of his sight in his later years, de Lairesse remained a central figure in the artistic and intellectual circles of Amsterdam. His lectures, delivered from his home, attracted a wide array of students and enthusiasts, eager to learn from his extensive knowledge and experience.
Today, works by Gerard de Lairesse can be found in prestigious institutions worldwide, including the Rijksmuseum and the Amsterdam Museum in the Netherlands, the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the National Gallery in London, among others. His legacy as the 'Dutch Poussin' speaks to his enduring influence on the evolution of European art, bridging the gap between the Baroque and the Neoclassical.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Gerard de Lairesse represents an intriguing study in the transition of art styles from the Baroque to Neoclassicism. His dedication to the theory and practice of art makes his work a valuable addition to any collection.
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Charles Le Brun was a French painter, draftsman and chief decorator of the Palace of Versailles.
Charles came from an educated and respected family, trained in painting in Italy and very soon his talents were appreciated in the highest circles of France. In 1660 Le Brun painted "The Family of Darius before Alexander", which brought him the reputation of a brilliant French painter, and in 1664 he received the position of the first painter of the king. Thereafter he received more and more commissions and more honors.
From 1662 Le Brun controlled all the artistic projects of the royal court. In the Palace of Versailles, Lebrun created beautiful decorations: the Ambassadors' Staircase, the Hall of Mirrors, the Peace Room and the War Room. In each of his designs, he emphasized the king's achievements. He was also responsible for the decoration of the State Apartments, which was entrusted to the greatest artists of the time, who worked from his drawings. Le Brun also designed most of the statues in the park at Versailles. This enormous work cemented his reputation as a true seventeenth-century genius, as well as one of the founders, ideologues, and chief representatives of the classicist "grand style" of King Louis XIV's era.
In 1648 Le Brun became a founding member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, and in 1663 - the manager of the Manufacture of tapestries.
Charles Le Brun was not only the creator of the "grand style", but also contributed to the rebirth of classicism into academism.
Jacob Leyssens / Lyssens was a Flemish painter and decorator. After training in Antwerp, he spent a long time in Rome. After his return to Antwerp, he was active as a painter and decorator and collaborated with prominent Antwerp still life painters such as Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen the Younger and Jan Baptist Bosschaert. He became a member of the Bentvueghels, an association of mainly Dutch and Flemish artists working in Rome. Only a few of his works are known, one of which is in the collection of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. He decorated many rooms and ceilings in prominent residences and buildings in Antwerp. He is known to have collaborated as a staffage painter with other artists.
Vincent Jansz van der Vinne was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter, member of the Guild of St. Luke in Haarlem, known for his Italian landscapes and floral still lifes, but also for creating tapestries and decorating entire rooms. Wynne was an art collector and dealer, as well as a museum manager.
Simon Vouet was a French painter who studied and rose to prominence in Italy before being summoned by Louis XIII to serve as Premier peintre du Roi in France. He and his studio of artists created religious and mythological paintings, portraits, frescoes, tapestries, and massive decorative schemes for the king and for wealthy patrons, including Richelieu. During this time, "Vouet was indisputably the leading artist in Paris," and was immensely influential in introducing the Italian Baroque style of painting to France. He was also "without doubt one of the outstanding seventeenth-century draughtsmen, equal to Annibale Carracci and Lanfranco."
Hans Vredeman de Vries was a Netherlandish painter and printmaker, decorative artist, architect and Renaissance engineer.
After studying the works of Vitruvius and Sebastiano Serlio and putting in a great deal of labor himself, Vredeman became known throughout Europe as a specialist in perspective. As an architectural theorist, he was most famous for his varied designs of invented views of cities and buildings shown in carefully considered linear perspective. These were apparently created as models for architects.
In 1575-1586 Hans Vredeman de Vries was appointed city architect of Antwerp and was responsible for the fortifications of the city. He then worked in Hamburg, Danzig, Prague and Amsterdam. He is also known for his 1583 publication on garden design and books with many examples of ornamentation and perspective.
His son Salomon Vredeman de Vries (1556-1604) was also an artist.