Johannes or Jan Luyken (April 16, 1649 – April 5, 1712) was a Dutch poet, illustrator, and engraver.Kort verhaal Van het godvruchtig leven En zalig afsterven Van Joannes Luiken (Short story of the religious life and peaceful death of Joannes Luiken)
in the DBNL

Biography

Lusthof des Gemoeds - Jan Philipsz Schabaalje 1714

He was born and died in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, where he learned engraving from his father Kaspar Luyken. He married at 19 and had several children, including renowned engraver Kasparus Luiken. At age 26 Luyken converted to the

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radi ...

church, which inspired him to write moralistic poetry.

Works

Luyken illustrated the 1685 edition of the ''

Martyrs Mirror ''Martyr's Mirror'' or ''The Bloody Theater'', first published in Holland in 1660 in Dutch by Thieleman J. van Braght, documents the stories and testimonies of Christian martyrs, especially Anabaptists. The full title of the book is ''The Blood ...

'' with 104 copper

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

s. Thirty of these plates survive and were part of ''The Mirror of the Martyrs'' exhibit. He also published ''Het Menselyk Bedryf'' ("The Book of Trades") in 1694, which contains numerous engravings of 17th-century trades by Luiken and his son Caspar (Caspaares).

Cultural references

Joris-Karl Huysmans Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (, ; 5 February 1848 – 12 May 1907) was a French novelist and art critic who published his works as Joris-Karl Huysmans (, variably abbreviated as J. K. or J.-K.). He is most famous for the novel '' À rebour ...

' anti-hero Des Esseintes in ''

À rebours ''À rebours'' (; translated ''Against Nature'' or ''Against the Grain'') is an 1884 novel by the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans. The narrative centers on a single character: Jean des Esseintes, an eccentric, reclusive, ailing aesthete. The ...

'' was an admirer of Luyken's engravings and had prints from his ''Religious Persecutions'' hung in his boudoir. He described them as "a collection of appalling plates displaying all the tortures which religious fanaticism has invented." Des Esseintes was enthralled not just by Luyken's graphic depictions but his ability to reconstruct times and places in his works.

Gallery

File:Jesus the teacher. Jan Luyken etching. Bowyer Bible.gif, ''Jesus the Teacher'' File:Jan Luyken's Jesus 27. Caiaphas. Phillip Medhurst Collection.jpg, ''

Caiaphas Joseph ben Caiaphas (; c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD), known simply as Caiaphas (; grc-x-koine, Καϊάφας, Kaïáphas ) in the New Testament, was the Jewish high priest who, according to the gospels, organized a plot to kill Jesus. He famous ...

'' File:Zware mishandeling van christenslaven door de Turken, Jan Luyken, 1684.jpg, ''Serious mistreatment of Christian slaves by the Turks'' File:Turk en geestelijke met christenslaven, Jan Luyken, 1684.jpg, ''Turk and clergyman with Christian slaves'' (1684) File:Cruelty shah Safi, Jan Luyken- Sahand Ace.jpg, ''The Cruelty of

Shah Safi Sam Mirza ( fa, سام میرزا) (161112 May 1642), better known by his dynastic name of Shah Safi ( fa, شاه صفی), was the sixth Safavid shah (king) of Iran, ruling from 1629 to 1642. Early life Safi was given the name Sam Mirza when ...

'' (1697) File:Anne Boleyn's Execution by Jan Luyken.jpg, ''Anne Boleyn's Execution'' File:Alexander Farnese trout met Maria princesse van Portugal (Jan Luyken, 1720) (cropped).png, ''

Alexander Farnese Alessandro Farnese may refer to: * Pope Paul III (1468–1549), Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome *Alessandro Farnese (cardinal) (1520–1589), Paul's grandson, Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal-nephew * Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma (1545–1592), ...

marries Maria Princess of Portugal'' (1720)

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Luyken, Jan 1649 births 1712 deaths 17th-century Dutch poets Dutch male poets Dutch illustrators Engravers from Amsterdam Writers from Amsterdam Dutch Golden Age printmakers Dutch Mennonites Mennonite artists Mennonite writers Mennonite poets Catholic engravers