CLAESZ., Jan

(b. ~1570 Haarlem, d. 1618 Enkhuisen)

Netherlandish painter, active in Enkhuizen. He is the oldest Enkhuizen painter known to us, whose work can be traced from 1593 to 1618. About thirty paintings of his hand have been identified.

Little is known about his life. It is supposed that he received his training in Amsterdam and settled in Enkhuizen around 1593. The work of Claesz. is characteristic of the transition from the 16th to the 17th century, immediately prior to the work of artists such as Frans Hals in Haarlem and Cornelis van der Voort (c. 1576-1624) in Amsterdam. Part of his work consists of portraits of children and as such Jan Claesz. is one of the most important pioneers of the Dutch genre of children’s portraits.

Portrait of Bartholomeus van der Wiere

The portrait depicts Bartholomeus van der Wiere (1534-1603), a pensioner in Amsterdam, standing in an interior at a table with an inkstand, pens and a letter. The pendant of the portrait represents his wife.

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Portrait of Lysbeth Hendriksdr

The portrait depicts Lysbeth Hendriksdr (1536-c. 1603), wife of Bartholomeus van der Wiere, standing at a chair, holding a little book in her right hand. The painting is the pendant of the portrait representing her husband.

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Portrait of a Young Child

This painting, a characteristic example of the children’s portrait by Jan Claesz., depicts a young child wearing a lace collar and black dress, carrying a basket of cherries. The boy in unidentified, but he was certainly a member of one of the leading Enkhuizen governing or merchant families.

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