Jan Griffier
Encyclopedia
Jan Griffier was a Dutch Golden Age
painter who was active in England, where he was admitted to the London Company of Painter-Stainers
in 1677.
and learned to paint landscapes and to engrave from Roelant Roghman
. His birthdate is uncertain. According to Houbraken he was born in 1656, and according to English accounts he may have been older by up to 10 years, but in 1700 he was registered in Leiden in the Album studiosorum of the university art academy there as being 48 years old and living on the Stadstimmerwerf.
He produced views of Rhineland
landscapes as well as of the English countryside, and returned to the Netherlands for a decade after ca 1695, but was engaged for at least two decades in England where he worked for the Dutch painter Jan Looten (1618-ca.1681). Griffier's work as a draughtsman reflects his training by Roghman; as an etcher
, he is remembered for a series of plates of birds after Francis Barlow
; his mezzotint
s reproduce portraits after Sir Peter Lely
and Sir Godfrey Kneller
. His city views, invaluable topographical evidence
, suggest that his travels in England were extensive. According to Houbraken he undertook a voyage by boat with his family to the Netherlands in 1695 that ended in shipwreck. All the paintings he had with him at that time were lost. He bought a houseboat in Rotterdam, which he then proceeded to use to move his family with him on his travels, continuing to make a living by painting landscapes. Eventually he undertook another channel crossing with this boat, but sent his family by a more seaworthy ship, since he was afraid of another shipwreck. This trip was successful and he died in London.
's notebooks.
Griffier's son Robert Griffier (1688 — ca 1750) and grandson Jan Griffier the Younger (working 1738 — 1773) continued the family landscape tradition.
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 who was active in England, where he was admitted to the London Company of Painter-Stainers
Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers
The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. An organisation of stainers, or painters of metals and wood, is known to have existed as early as 1268. A similar organisation of painters, who generally worked on cloth, existed as early as 1283...
in 1677.
Biography
Griffier was born in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and learned to paint landscapes and to engrave from Roelant Roghman
Roelant Roghman
Roelant Roghman was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver.-Biography:Roghman was born in Amsterdam, the son of the engraver Henrick Lambertsz Roghman and Maria Jacobs Savery. His mother was a daughter of the Savery family, and Roghman became a student of his namesake and great-uncle, Roelant...
. His birthdate is uncertain. According to Houbraken he was born in 1656, and according to English accounts he may have been older by up to 10 years, but in 1700 he was registered in Leiden in the Album studiosorum of the university art academy there as being 48 years old and living on the Stadstimmerwerf.
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
landscapes as well as of the English countryside, and returned to the Netherlands for a decade after ca 1695, but was engaged for at least two decades in England where he worked for the Dutch painter Jan Looten (1618-ca.1681). Griffier's work as a draughtsman reflects his training by Roghman; as an etcher
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
, he is remembered for a series of plates of birds after Francis Barlow
Francis Barlow
Francis Barlow may refer to:*Francis Barlow , British painter, etcher, and illustrator*Francis C. Barlow , US lawyer, politician, and general-See also:*Frank Barlow...
; his mezzotint
Mezzotint
Mezzotint is a printmaking process of the intaglio family, technically a drypoint method. It was the first tonal method to be used, enabling half-tones to be produced without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple...
s reproduce portraits after Sir Peter Lely
Peter Lely
Sir Peter Lely was a painter of Dutch origin, whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court.-Life:...
and Sir Godfrey Kneller
Godfrey Kneller
Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to British monarchs from Charles II to George I...
. His city views, invaluable topographical evidence
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
, suggest that his travels in England were extensive. According to Houbraken he undertook a voyage by boat with his family to the Netherlands in 1695 that ended in shipwreck. All the paintings he had with him at that time were lost. He bought a houseboat in Rotterdam, which he then proceeded to use to move his family with him on his travels, continuing to make a living by painting landscapes. Eventually he undertook another channel crossing with this boat, but sent his family by a more seaworthy ship, since he was afraid of another shipwreck. This trip was successful and he died in London.
Legacy
Apart from the biographical sketch that Houbraken wrote in 1718, much of what is known of him in England has been transmitted by Horace Walpole, working from George VertueGeorge Vertue
George Vertue was an English engraver and antiquary, whose notebooks on British art of the first half of the 18th century are a valuable source for the period.-Life:...
's notebooks.
Griffier's son Robert Griffier (1688 — ca 1750) and grandson Jan Griffier the Younger (working 1738 — 1773) continued the family landscape tradition.
External links
- National Maritime Museum, Greenwich: Jan Griffier, the Elder
- The Art Fund Purchases of Griffier paintings for UK museums