Jan-Christian Hansche

or Jan-Christian Hanssche

Flemish artist who worked as a 'stucateur' in the Southern Netherlands in the second half of the 17th century.In 1672 he made the stucco decoration of the Library of the Abbey of Park, near Leuven in Belgium. The stucco relief represents the church fathers and the evangelists and scenes from the life of Saint Norbert. In the refectory of the same abbey he decorated the ceiling with seven biblical scenes (1679), and signed his work "jan christiaen hansche".He also worked in several houses and monasteries in Ghent,in the Castle of Beaulieu in Machelen and in the Castle of Horst.

A magnificent example of his work are the decorations for the Castle of Modave. The grand vestibule of this castle is decorated with a genealogical tree of the house of the Counts of Marchin. It includes the coats of arms of the members of the family but also reliefs depicting some ancestors as knights in full armour on their horses. A series of rooms on the ground floor is decorated with scenes from the life of Hercules. The apartement on the first floor follows the theme of 'the four seasons'.

He also worked in Germany and Holland and probably was of German origin.

Sources

*Anon. 'Hansche (Hanssche), Jan Christiaen' in: "Thieme-Becker.Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart", vol. XV, Leipzig, 1922: 599.
*Vrancken, Michel, De stucplafonds van Jan Christiaan Hansche (1655-1685), master thesis, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 1971.
*Van Vaeck, M., 'Beelden van omhoog, Hansches 17de-eeuwse plafonddecoraties in stucwerk in de kastelen van Horst, Modave en Beaulieu en in het Gentse Brouwershuis' in: "Monumenten en Landschappen", XVI, 1997, 5: 21-53.