Antonis Mor

For the musician, see Anthony More (musician).

Antonis Mor
Antonis Mor self-portrait,
Birth name	Antonis Mor
Born	1517 Netherland
Died	1577 (aged 60) Antwerp
Nationality	Dutch
Field	Painting
Movement	High Renaissance

Sir Antonis Mor, Anthonis Mor, or Antonio Moro (c. 1517 - 1577) was a Netherlandish portrait painter, much in demand by the courts of Europe. He has also been referred to as Antoon, Anthonius, Anthonis, or Mor van Dashorst, Antonio Moro, Anthony More, etc., but signed most of his portraits as, Anthonis Mor.^[1]

Early life and education

Mor was born in Utrecht, Netherlands by some estimation between 1516 and 1520. What is known of his early life is that his artistic education commenced under Jan van Scorel. His earliest work is probably a portrait at Stockholm, dated 1538.^{[citation needed]}

Painting career

Portrait of Granvelle.

A group of Knights of St. John, at Utrecht, supposed to have been painted about 1541; a picture of two pilgrims at the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, dated 1544; together with the portrait of an unknown woman, in the Lille gallery, were probably among his earliest works although their authenticity has not been proved.^{[citation needed]}

Antwerp

Portrait of Queen Mary I of England, 1554.

In 1547, he was received as a member of the Venerable Guild of St. Luke at Antwerp, and shortly afterwards (about 1548) he attracted the attention of Cardinal Granvelle, Bishop of Arras, who became his steady patron. Of the portraits executed during the early period of his career as Granvelle's protege, two are especially notable: one of the bishop himself (in the imperial gallery in Vienna), and one of the Duke of Alba, which now belongs to the Hispanic Society of New York. Between 1549 and 1550 Prince Philip II of Spain (1527–1598) traveled around the Netherlands to present himself as the future ruler. Mor painted his portrait in Brussels in 1549. He probably visited Italy (when exactly is not known) where he copied some works by Titian, notably the Danaë.^{[citation needed]}

Portugal

In the middle of 1550 Mor left for Lisbon with a commission from Maria of Hungary to portray the Portuguese branch of the family. Mor probably travelled via Valladolid where he painted the portraits of Maximilian II and his wife Maria of Austria, their daughter Anna and the son of Philip, Don Carlos. In Lisbon, Mor portrayed King João, Queen Catharina, prince João and Philip’s future wife princess Maria of Portugal. Little more about Mor's stay in Portugal is known, but Mor was definitely back in Brussels in November 1553.^{[citation needed]}

England

After the sudden death of the king of England, Edward VI, in July 1553, Charles V now saw the possibility of an alliance between Spain and England. The Portuguese engagement was broken and negotiations started for a marriage with the successor Mary Tudor. During these negotiations Mor was send to England to paint a portrait of Mary, but the exact date of the painting is unknown. This portrait was much appreciated in England and Mor made at least three versions, much the best known likeness of the queen (Prado, Marquess of Northampton). On 20 December 1553 Philip officially appointed Mor as painter in his service.^{[citation needed]}

Brussels-Utrecht

In October 1555 Charles V abdicated the throne. During the ceremonies and festivities surrounding the coronation of Philip as king of Spain Mor would have received many commissions. Unfortunately many of these painting are lost or only known through copies. His productivity was large in this period and amongst these works are some of his most important portraits, such as the portrait of Prince William I of Orange (William the Silent) (1555), the portrait of Alessandro Farnese (1557) and a new portrait of Philip II. Other important works from this period are the portrait of Jane Dormer (1558), the portraits of Jean Lecocq and his wife (1559), and the portrait of Jan van Scorel (1559), which was at a later time to be hung at his tomb and now belongs to the Society of Antiquaries (London). After the death of Mary Tudor in 1558 Philip was remarried in June 1559 to Isabella de Valois. The original of the portrait which Mor painted of her around 1561 has probably been lost. Also from this period dates the only known self-portrait of Anthonis Mor, now in the Uffizi Gallery, and one of his (presumed) wife, now in the Prado (see image gallery below).^{[citation needed]}

The Spanish court

Mor probably accompanied Philip on his return to Spain in 1559. That Mor stayed at the Spanish court is confirmed by the letters which Philip send regularly to Mor after he had left again in 1561. In these letters the return of the painter to the court was asked several for times by Philip, but Mor would never comply to this request. Among the works which Mor supposedly painted in Spain are the Portrait of Juana of Austria and the Portrait of Don Carlos. A much praised work from this period is the Portrait of Pejerón, the fool of the earl of Benavente and the duke of Alva. There has been extended speculation about the reason for his departure. According to Carel van Mander Mor became too confidential with the king and this aroused the suspicion of the Inquisition. He may also have been alarmed by the increasingly repressive Counter-Reformation tenor of the Spanish court.^[2] Mor's pupil Alonso Sánchez Coello continued in the style of his master, and replaced him as Spanish court painter.^{[citation needed]}

Return to the Netherlands

On his return Mor probably travelled around among Utrecht, Antwerp and Brussels. In this period he was in regular contact with Granvelle and also worked for the court where he portrayed Margaretha of Parma. After his return Mor focused on the portrayal of citizens, especially of the trade elite in Antwerp and their wives, Beside this type of portrait (among others the Portrait of Thomas Gresham) he also painted artisans such as the goldsmith Steven van Herwijck (1564). These works differs from the paintings which Mor made for the court and they show another side of his skills. The return of Granvelle to France and the increasing social and political disorder in the Netherlands caused financial problems for Mor. These problems were partly solved with the commissions and favours granted by the duke of Alva. From 1568 Mor was established in Antwerp and in 1572 he registered as a master with the Antwerp guild. Possibly Mor visited England once again in 1568, based on the Portrait of a nobleman with dog and of the Portrait of Sir Henry Lee. In 1559 and 1562 Mor painted the portraits of Margaretha of Parma. On her way to Spain Anna of Austria stayed for a period of time in Antwerp where she was portrayed by Mor in 1570. This is the last know work which he painted for the court.^{[citation needed]}

Hereafter it becomes more quiet around Mor, maybe as result of competition by painters such as Adriaen Thomasz. Key, Frans Pourbus the Elder (1545–1581) and Frans Floris (1519/20-1570). The last portrait attributed to Mor is the Portrait of Hubertus Goltzius dated 1576. Mor focused during his last years on religious and mythological work, but in this area he would never equal his success as a portrait painter. The last document that refers to him was one issued at Antwerp in 1573. He probably died there shortly afterwards.^{[citation needed]}

Main works

Alleged portrait of Jane Dormer, Queen Mary's Lady-in-Waiting and later Duchess of Feria.

Many of Mor's portraits were copied by others. Among those whose works have been confused with Mor's are Alonso Sánchez Coello, Francisco de Holanda, and Cristóvão de Morais Lopes. A large number of engravings based on his work also circulated.

• NB: Some attributions and locations may be out of date.

Portrait of Thomas Gresham.

• Portrait of Philip II^[3] (c. 1549-1550) - Oil on oak, 107.5 x 83.3 cm, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
• Portrait of Cardinal Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle (1549) - Oil on panel, 107 x 82 cm, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. See image above
• Cardinal's Granvelle Dwarf with a Dog (1549–1553) - Oil on canvas, 126 x 92 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris
• Portrait of a Man Pointing at a Table Clock (c. 1550) - Oil on canvas, 100 x 80 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris
• Portrait of a Giovanni Battista di Castaldo (c. 1550)^[4] - Oil on panel, 107.6 x 82.2 cm, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
• Portrait of John III of Portugal (c. 1550)^[5] - Oil on canvas, 101 x 81 cm, Fundación Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid; see image gallery below.
• Portrait of Catherine of Austria (or Habsburg) (c. 1552)^[6] - Oil on panel, 107 x 84 cm, Museo del Prado, Madrid, inv. 2109; see image gallery below.
• Portrait of Maria of Portugal (c. 1552)^[7] - Oil on canvas, 100 x 87 cm, Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, Madrid, inv. PN822.
• Portrait of Isabel de Bragança (1552)^[8] - Oil on panel, 55 x 50 cm, Private collection, Germany.
• Portrait of Prince William I of Orange/Nassau (c. 1554) - Oil on panel, 105 x 81.5 cm, Staatliche Museen, Kassel; see image gallery below.
• Portrait of a Man (c. 1555-1560) - Oil on wood, 97.8 x 71.2 cm, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
• Portrait of Philip II of Spain in Armour (c. 1557)^[9] - Oil on canvas, 186 x 82 cm, Monasterio de San Lorenzo, El Escorial, inv. 1653; see image gallery below.
• Portrait of a Man in Armor (1558)^[10] - Oil on canvas, 111 x 80 cm, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
• Portrait of a Young Man [by an anonymous follower of Mor] (1558) - Oil on panel, 97.5 x 69.9 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington
• Self-portrait (1558) -Oil on wood, 113 x 84 cm, Uffizi, Florence; see image above
• Portrait of Simon Renard (1560) - Oil on canvas, Musée du Temps, Besançon.
• Portrait of a Lady (c. 1560) - Oil on oak, 116.8 x 86.9 cm, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
• Portrait of Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn (c. 1560) - Oil on panel. Present location not known.
• Portrait of Sir Thomas Gresham (1560–1565) - Oil on panel, 90 x 75.5 cm, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; see image above
• Portrait of Lady Gresham (Anne Femely) (1560–1565) - Oil on oak, 88 x 75.5 cm, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
• Portrait of Metgen, wife of the artist (also known as Portrait of a married woman) (c. 1560-1565)- Oil on panel, 100 x 80 cm, Museo del Prado, Madrid, inv. 2114; see image gallery below.
• Portrait of Spanish Nobleman , (c.1560) - National Museum of Serbia ,Belgrade ,Oil on canvas 130 x 90 cm ^[11]
• Portrait of a Man (1560–1577) - Oil on oak, 49.5 x 40.6 cm, National Gallery, London
• Portrait of Margaret, Duchess of Parma (c. 1562) - oil on canvas, Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Gemäldengalerie, Berlin, inv. L310A; see image gallery below.
• Portrait of Jeanne Lullier (1563) - Oil on canvas, Musée du Temps, Besançon.
• Portrait of Maria of Portugal, Princess of Parma (c. 1565)^[12] - Oil on panel, 35 x 15 cm, Museo del Prado, Madrid, inv. 2117.
• Portrait of Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley (1568) - Oil on panel, 64.1 x 53.3 cm, National Portrait Gallery, London; see image gallery below.
• Portrait of a Gentleman (1569) - Oil on canvas, 119.7 x 88.3 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington
• Portrait of Hendrik Goltzius (c. 1570) - Oil on wood, 66 x 50 cm, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels
• Portrait of a Gentleman (c. 1570) - Oil on panel, 122 x 98.5 cm, North Carolina Museum of Art
• Portrait of Mary I of England (date unknown - Oil on wood, 109 x 84 cm, Museo del Prado, Madrid; see image above
• Portrait of a Lady - Oil on wood panel, 107 x 72.1 cm, National Gallery of Victoria.
• Portrait of Margaret, Duchess of Parma (date unknown) - oil on panel transferred on canvas, 97.8 x 71.7 cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art.
• Portrait of Jane Dormer (?) - Museo del Prado, Madrid; see image above.

Gallery

• 

  John III of Portugal

• 

  Queen Catherine of Habsburg

• 

  William of Orange

• 

  Philip II of Spain in armour

• 

  Metgen

• 

  Margaret of Parma

• 

  Henry Lee of Ditchley

See also

• Artists of the Tudor court

Notes

1. ^ The Getty Union List of Artist Names lists a record 29 variants
2. ^ Trevor-Roper:45 believes so, following Richard Ford.
3. ^ Annemarie Jordan, Retrato de Corte em Portugal. O Legado de António Moro (1552-1572) (Lisbon: Quetzal Editores, 1994), p. 17
4. ^ Castaldo (1500-1562) was a soldier of Neapolitan origin who took part in the Battle of Pavia, the Sack of Rome, the Battle of Mühlberg etc. Charles V rewarded him with various titles and honors.
5. ^ Jordan, p. 32.
6. ^ Jordan, p. 31.
7. ^ Jordan, pp. 36, 163.
8. ^ Jordan, pp. 61, 164.
9. ^ Jordan, p. 97; P. G. Matthews, “Portraits of Philip II of Spain as King of England,” Burlington Magazine, vol. 142, no. 1162 (Jan. 2000), p. 17.
10. ^ J. Paul Getty Museum. Portrait of a Man in Armor. Retrieved 4 September 2008.
11. ^ [1]
12. ^ Jordan, pp. 70, 168.

Sources

• Annemarie Jordan, Retrato de Corte em Portugal. O Legado de António Moro (1552-1572, (Lisbon: Quetzal Editores, 1994)
• Annemarie Jordan, La Reina María de Inglaterra, segunda mujer de Felipe II, [Antonio Moro], Museo del Prado, Enciclopedia Online, http://www.museodelprado.es/enciclopedia/enciclopedia-on-line/voz/reina-maria-de-inglaterra-segunda-mujer-de-felipe-ii-la-antonio-moro/
• Annemarie Jordan, Antonio Moro. Anton van Dashort Mor, Museo del Prado, Enciclopedia Online, http://www.museodelprado.es/enciclopedia/enciclopedia-on-line/voz/moro-antonio-anton-van-dashorst-mor/
• Georges Marlier, Anthonis Mor van Dashorst (Antonio Moro), Académie royale de Belgique ,Classe des beaux-arts, Mémoires (Brussels: M. Hayez, 1934).
• Trevor-Roper, Hugh; Princes and Artists, Patronage and Ideology at Four Habsburg Courts 1517-1633, Thames & Hudson, London, 1976, ISBN 0500232326
• Marieke van Wamel Pictor regis. Anthonis Mor van Dashorst and his position as painter at the Habsburg court., Thesis Universiteit van Amsterdam, 2009 Pictor regis - Van Wamel
• Joanna Woodall, Anthonis Mor; Art and Authority (Zwolle: Waanders Publishers, 2008).

External links

• Paintings
• More Paintings

Persondata
Name	Mor, Antonis
Alternative names
Short description	painter
Date of birth	c. 1516-1520
Place of birth	Utrecht
Date of death	1575
Place of death