Cornelis Bloemaert

Cornelis Bloemaert, The Holy Willibrord, 1630

Cornelis Bloemaert II (1603 – September 28, 1692), was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver.

Biography

Bloemaert was born at Utrecht. He studied with his father, Abraham Bloemaert, his brothers Hendrick and Adriaan, and his father's pupil, Gerard van Honthorst. Though originally trained as a painter, he devoted himself primarily to printmaking, which he learned from Crispijn van de Passe.^[1] He went to Paris in 1630, where he made engravings from among others, Michel de Marolles's Temple des Muses, before going to Rome in 1633.^[2] His chisel can be recognised by the colours' richness and the smoothness of their transitions. Amongst his pupils were Michel Natalis and Gilles Rousselet. Some of his better known engravings are of Annibale Carracci's The Holy Family, Pietro da Cortona's Adoration of the Shepherds, and Rubens' Meleager.

According to Houbraken he traveled to Rome, where he made prints of many Italian paintings. In 1659 and 1667 he did frontispiece engravings for Daniello Bartoli's Istoria della Compagnia di Gesu. He was so successful that he stayed there until receiving word that his father wished to see him once more before he died. He delayed his return so long, that his father died, so he remained in Rome until his own death.^[1] He was a member of the Bentvueghels with the nickname Winter.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} (Dutch) Kornelis Bloemaart biography in De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen (1718) by Arnold Houbraken, courtesy of the Digital library for Dutch literature
2. ^ ^{a b} Cornelis Bloemaert II in the RKD

Persondata
Name	Bloemaert, Cornelis
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1603
Place of birth
Date of death	September 28, 1692
Place of death