- Guild of Romanists
The Guild of Romanists was a 16th and 17th century society in
Antwerp forhumanist s andartist s; it was a condition of membership that the member had visitedRome . Deans were appointed annually. It was "where 'art-pilgrims' met to keep themselves up to date on news from Rome, whether it be new painters or paintings, or newly discovered antiquities". [David Jaffé (ed), "Rubens, A Master in the Making", The National Gallery Company/Yale, p. 11 London 2005, ISBN 1 857093267] It appears to have acted in some sense as an alternative to the long-established Antwerp painters' "Guild of Saint Luke ", to which all or most of its members also belonged, as his membership of the Romanists is given (together with his appointment as a Court painter) as a reason for Rubens being only made an "honorary" Dean of the Guild of St Luke. [ [http://www.uiowa.edu/~montage/issues/2006/kehoe.pdf "Antwerp’s Rubenshuis: A Historic House Museum at the Crossroads of Nationalisms" by Marsely von Lengerke Kehoe p.7] ]The condition of having visited Rome to enjoy membership appears to have been strictly enforced, as art historians accept membership of the Guild as evidence of travels that are (in the case of Fyt etc) otherwise undocumented.
The Renaissance movement of Romanism in Netherlandish painting was reaching the end of its main period when the society began, but it probably paid a part in promoting the strong links between Italian and Flemish art in the Baroque period, under the dominating influence of Rubens.
Notable members
*
Marten de Vos - Founder
*Jan Brueghel the Elder ,1599 [Gregory Martin, "The Flemish School, 1600-1900", National Gallery Catalogues", 1970, National Gallery, London, ISBN 0901791024]
*Otto van Veen , Dean 1606 [Grove Art online, accessed May 12, 2007]
*Abraham Janssens , 1610 or 1601
*Hendrick van Balen , Dean 1613 [Martin op cit]
*Pieter Paul Rubens , 1609, Dean 1613-14 [ Martin op cit]
*Frans Snyders , 1619, Dean 1629 [Ingamells, John, "The Wallace Collection, Catalogue of Pictures, Vol IV, Dutch and Flemish", Wallace Collection, 1992, ISBN 0900785373]
*Jan Fyt , 1650, Dean 1652 [Grove online]
*Wenceslas Cobergher , 1605ee also
*
Chamber of rhetoric
*Antwerp school
*Bentvueghels Netherlandish artists' society in RomeReferences
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