Abraham Danielsz. Hondius (about 1631 – 17 September 1691) was a

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...

painter known for his depictions of animals.

Career

Hondius was born in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

. He was the son of a city stonemason, Daniel Abramsz de Hondt. Hondius trained under Pieter de Bloot (1601–1658) and Cornelis Saftleven.Abraham Hondius
in the

RKD The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: ), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center in the world. The center specializes in document ...

He lived in Rotterdam until he moved to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

in 1659. He migrated to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1666, where he spent the rest of his life. Throughout his career, Hondius combined several stylistic influences and struggled to develop a style of his own. However, he specialized in

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...

pieces: more than two-thirds of his paintings,

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 type ...

s and drawings are hunting scenes, animals fighting and animal studies. He also painted landscapes, genre and religious scenes. He also painted views of London such as '' The Frozen Thames'' and ''London Bridge''. His last known work is ''Ape and Cat Fighting over Dead Poultry'', dated 1690.

Gallery

File:De verkondiging aan de herders, SK-A-1918.jpg, The Proclamation to the Shepherds, 1663, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam File:The Monkey and the Cat by Abraham Hondius.jpg, The Monkey and the Cat, 1670, Cleveland Museum of Art File:Hondius Fight between a dog and a heron.jpg, Fight between a dog and a heron, 1670, National Museum in Warsaw File:De hertenjacht Rijksmuseum SK-A-2677.jpeg, The Deer Hunt, Rijksmuseum File:Abraham Hondius - Caça ao javali.jpg, wild boar hunting, Sao Paulo File:Abraham Danielsz. Hondius - Mercury and Argos - WGA11644.jpg, Mercury and Argos, private collection File:Abraham Daniëlsz. Hondius 001.jpg,

Pyramus and Thisbe In Greek mythology, Pyramus and Thisbe () are a pair of ill-fated lovers from Babylon, whose story is best known from Ovid's narrative poem ''Metamorphoses''. The tragic myth has been retold by many authors. Pyramus and Thisbe's parents, drive ...

, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam File:The Frozen Thames 1677 by Abraham Hondius.jpg, '' The Frozen Thames'' by Abraham Hondius in the

Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...

, showing

Old London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box gir ...

and what is now

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ), formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, is a Church of England cathedral in Southwark, London, near the south bank of the River Thames and close to London Bridge. It is the mother c ...

in 1677.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hondius, Abraham 1630s births 1691 deaths Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters Painters from Rotterdam Dutch emigrants to England