- Frans Snyders
Frans Snyders (1579 - 1657), or Snijders, was a Flemish painter of
animal s andstill life .Snyders was born and died at Antwerp. He is recorded as a student of
Pieter Brueghel the Younger in 1593, and subsequently received instruction fromHendrick van Balen , the first master ofVan Dyck . He was a friend of Van Dyck who painted Snyders and his wife more than once (Frick Collection ,Kassel etc).He became a master of the Antwerp
painters guild in 1602. He visitedItaly in 1608-9, visiting Rome, and working for Cardinal Borromeo inMilan . In 1611 he married Margaretha, the sister ofCornelis de Vos and Paul de Vos (another animal painter), in Antwerp.Jan Fyt was a student, and then assistant of his from 1629.Snyders initially devoted himself to painting flowers, fruit and subjects of still life, but later turned to painting animals, and executed with the greatest skill and spirit hunting pieces and combats of wild animals. He was one of the earliest specialist "
animalier s". His composition is rich and varied, his drawing correct and vigorous, his touch bold and thoroughly expressive of the different textures of furs and skins. His excellence in this department excited the admiration of Rubens, who frequently employed him to paint animals, fruit and still life in his own pictures, and he assistedJacob Jordaens ,Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert and other artists in a similar manner.In the lion and boar hunts which bear the name of Snyders the hand of Rubens sometimes appears. He was one of the executors of Rubens's will.
He was appointed principal painter to the Archduke Albert of Austria, governor of the
Low Countries , for whom he executed some of his finest works. One of these, a "Stag-Hunt" was presented toPhilip III of Spain , who together with his successorPhilip IV of Spain , commissioned the artist to paint several subjects of the chase, which are still preserved inSpain . He also worked forArchduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria , when he became Governor.References
*1911
*Ingamells, John, "The Wallace Collection, Catalogue of Pictures, Vol IV, Dutch and Flemish", Wallace Collection, 1992, ISBN 0900785373
*Gregory Martin, The Flemish School, 1600-1900, National Gallery Catalogues, 1970, National Gallery, London, ISBN 0901791024External links
* [http://wwar.com/masters/s/snyders-frans.html Paintings of Snyders]
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