Daniel Blok
Encyclopedia
Daniel Blok or Daniel von Block (1580–1660) was a German
Baroque
painter.
. He was sent to learn the art of painting portraits from Jakob Scherer in Gdańsk
. He attracted the attention of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
, for whom he painted portraits.
Houbraken goes on to say that he made a genealogical and heraldic family tree for the Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
, and went from being painter to becoming courtier, but he lost everything in a fire in 1651 during the Thirty Years War. He survived and fled to Rostock, where he lived to the age of 80.
His son Benjamin Block
also became a court painter. According to the RKD, Daniel Block worked in Schwerin
, but he must have been active in Lübeck
also, since that is where his son was born in 1631.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
painter.
Biography
According to Houbraken he was the son of Marten Blok of UtrechtUtrecht (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...
. He was sent to learn the art of painting portraits from Jakob Scherer in Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
. He attracted the attention of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
, for whom he painted portraits.
Houbraken goes on to say that he made a genealogical and heraldic family tree for the Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1348, when Albert II of Mecklenburg and his younger brother John were raised to Dukes of Mecklenburg by King Charles IV...
, and went from being painter to becoming courtier, but he lost everything in a fire in 1651 during the Thirty Years War. He survived and fled to Rostock, where he lived to the age of 80.
His son Benjamin Block
Benjamin Block
Benjamin Block, or Blok was a seventeenth century German - Hungarian Baroque painter who married the flower painter Anna Katharina Block. He is known for his portrait paintings.-Biography:...
also became a court painter. According to the RKD, Daniel Block worked in Schwerin
Schwerin
Schwerin is the capital and second-largest city of the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The population, as of end of 2009, was 95,041.-History:...
, but he must have been active in Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
also, since that is where his son was born in 1631.