Balthasar van der Ast
Encyclopedia
Balthasar van der Ast was a Dutch Golden Age
painter
who specialized in still life
s of flowers and fruit, as well as painting a number of remarkable shell still lifes; he is considered to be a pioneer in the genre of shell painting. His still lifes often contain insects and lizards. He was born in Middelburg
and died at Delft
.
Balthasar van der Ast was born in Middelburg
in the Southern Dutch province of Zeeland
, in the family of a prosperous wool merchant. His birth was not recorded, but years later, on June 30, 1618, his older brother Jacob’s legal action indicated that Balthasar was around 25 years old at the time, making his birth date 1593 or 1594. His father, Hans, was a widower, and when he died in 1609, Bathasar moved in with his older sister, Maria, and his brother in law, the prominent Dutch painter Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder
(1573–1621), whom Maria married in 1604. Van der Ast was trained by Bosschaert as a still life painter, and his early works clearly show Bosschaert’s influence. In turn, the three sons of Ambrosius Bosschaert, Ambrosius the Younger
(1609–1645), Johannes
(ca. 1612/13-1628 or later), and Abraham
(1606-1683/84) were trained by van der Ast upon the death of their father. Together, this group of painters is sometimes referred to as the “Bosschaert dynasty”.
Van der Ast accompanied the Bosschaert family in their move in 1615 to Bergen op Zoom and in 1619 to Utrecht
, where van der Ast entered the Utrecht Guild of St. Luke
. Roelandt Savery (1576–1639) entered the St. Luke’s guild in Utrecht at about the same time. Savery, had considerable influence on van der Ast and his pupils in the years to come, especially in van der Ast’s interest in tonality. Besides the Bosschaerts, his pupils were Anthony Claesz and Johannes Baers. It is also likely that Jan Davidsz de Heem (1606-1683/84) was van der Ast’s pupil in Utrecht. He also influenced Willem
and Evert van Aelst
, and Bartholomeus Assteyn
.
Van der Ast remained in Utrecht until 1632, when he moved to Delft and joined the guild of St Luke on 22 June 1633. On February 26, 1633 he married Margrieta Jans van Buijeren. They had two children, Maria and Helena. In Delft, van der Ast and family lived in the house on Cellebroerstraat until 1640, and in the house in Oude Delft until his death in 1657, when he was buried in the Oude Kerk.
Dutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
who specialized in still life
Still life
A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made...
s of flowers and fruit, as well as painting a number of remarkable shell still lifes; he is considered to be a pioneer in the genre of shell painting. His still lifes often contain insects and lizards. He was born in Middelburg
Middelburg
Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
and died at Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
.
Biography
Middelburg
Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
in the Southern Dutch province of Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
, in the family of a prosperous wool merchant. His birth was not recorded, but years later, on June 30, 1618, his older brother Jacob’s legal action indicated that Balthasar was around 25 years old at the time, making his birth date 1593 or 1594. His father, Hans, was a widower, and when he died in 1609, Bathasar moved in with his older sister, Maria, and his brother in law, the prominent Dutch painter Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder
Ambrosius Bosschaert
Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder was a still life painter of the Dutch Golden Age.-Biography:He was born in Antwerp, where he started his career, but he spent most of it in Middelburg , where he moved with his family because of the threat of religious persecution...
(1573–1621), whom Maria married in 1604. Van der Ast was trained by Bosschaert as a still life painter, and his early works clearly show Bosschaert’s influence. In turn, the three sons of Ambrosius Bosschaert, Ambrosius the Younger
Ambrosius Bosschaert II
Ambrosius Bosschaert II was a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in flower paintings in the manner of his father Ambrosius Bosschaert.-Biography:...
(1609–1645), Johannes
Johannes Bosschaert
Johannes Bosschaert was a member of the Bosschaert family of still life painters.-Biography:...
(ca. 1612/13-1628 or later), and Abraham
Abraham Bosschaert
Abraham Bosschaert was a Dutch Golden Age painter.-Biography:Bosschaert was born in Middelburg. According to the RKD he was a member of the Bosschaert dynasty. Like his father Ambrosius Bosschaert and older brothers, he signed his works with a monogram; AB, but this was only discovered in 1992...
(1606-1683/84) were trained by van der Ast upon the death of their father. Together, this group of painters is sometimes referred to as the “Bosschaert dynasty”.
Van der Ast accompanied the Bosschaert family in their move in 1615 to Bergen op Zoom and in 1619 to Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, where van der Ast entered the Utrecht Guild of St. Luke
Utrecht Guild of St. Luke
The Utrecht Guild of Saint Luke refers to two artist collectives in Utrecht ; the old Catholic Zadelaarsgilde dating from the middle ages, as well as the newer Sint Lucas Gilde established in 1611. The first collective was for a number of trades that were connected to the art industry, though the...
. Roelandt Savery (1576–1639) entered the St. Luke’s guild in Utrecht at about the same time. Savery, had considerable influence on van der Ast and his pupils in the years to come, especially in van der Ast’s interest in tonality. Besides the Bosschaerts, his pupils were Anthony Claesz and Johannes Baers. It is also likely that Jan Davidsz de Heem (1606-1683/84) was van der Ast’s pupil in Utrecht. He also influenced Willem
Willem van Aelst
Willem van Aelst was a Dutch artist who specialized in still-life painting with flowers or game.-Biography:...
and Evert van Aelst
Evert van Aelst
Evert van Aelst was a Dutch painter.Van Aelst was the uncle of Willem van Aelst. Both were famous for their still life paintings of game, fish, vases, etc. He was influenced by Pieter Claesz. According to Houbraken, he spent four years in France and seven in Italy...
, and Bartholomeus Assteyn
Bartholomeus Assteyn
Bartholomeus Abrahamsz. Assteyn was a Dutch painter. Bartholomeus Assteyn was the son of a painter from Ghent, Abraham Bartholomeusz. In the year 1631 he became member in the Dordrecht’s Saint Lukas painter gild. Assteyn lived with his family in Vriesestraat. In 1651 he was registered as an...
.
Van der Ast remained in Utrecht until 1632, when he moved to Delft and joined the guild of St Luke on 22 June 1633. On February 26, 1633 he married Margrieta Jans van Buijeren. They had two children, Maria and Helena. In Delft, van der Ast and family lived in the house on Cellebroerstraat until 1640, and in the house in Oude Delft until his death in 1657, when he was buried in the Oude Kerk.
External links
- Works at WGA
- Works and literature at PubHist
- Balthasar van der Ast on ArtnetArtnetartnet is an online service provider for the international art market with headquarters in New York, Berlin and Paris. Additionally, artnet has regional offices in China, the UK and Russia.- Business model :...