Peter Paul Rubens - Portrait of Jan Gaspar Gevartius - WGA20375

John Gaspar Gevartius or Jan Caspar Gevaerts (1593–1666) was the jurisconsult of

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

and in his lifetime a famous

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

. He was a personal friend of

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

Life

Gaspar was born in

Turnhout Turnhout () is a Belgium, Belgian Municipalities in Belgium, municipality and city located in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. ...

on 6 August 1593, the son of Johannes Gevaerts (1553–1613) and Cornelia Aerssens, whose father had been mayor of

Bergen op Zoom Bergen op Zoom (; called ''Berrege'' in the Brabantian dialect, local dialect) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in southwestern Netherlands. It is located in the Province ...

. He was educated by the Jesuits, going on to study the Liberal Arts at Louvain University. He was briefly in the service of

Benjamin Aubery du Maurier Benjamin Aubery du Maurier ( La Fontaine-Saint-Martin, August 1566 – La Fontaine-Saint-Martin 1636) was a French huguenot statesman and ambassador of his country to the States General of the Dutch Republic during the "Truce Quarrels". He tried ...

, French Ambassador in The Hague, where he became friends with Daniel Heinsius, writing an

epithalamium An epithalamium (; Latin form of Greek ἐπιθαλάμιον ''epithalamion'' from ἐπί ''epi'' "upon," and θάλαμος ''thalamos'' "nuptial chamber") is a poem written specifically for the bride on the way to her marital chamber. This fo ...

on his marriage. In 1617 he moved to Paris, entering the household of

Henri de Mesmes Henri is the French form of the masculine given name Henry, also in Estonian, Finnish, German and Luxembourgish. Bearers of the given name include: People French nobles * Henri I de Montmorency (1534–1614), Marshal and Constable of France * H ...

. In 1621 he was granted a law degree by the

University of Douai The University of Douai (; ) was a historic university in Douai, France. With a medieval tradition of scholarly activity in the city, the university was established in 1559, and lectures began in 1562. It ceased operations from 1795 to 1808. In ...

. After 1621 he became an important functionary of the city government of Antwerp. He wrote works on poetry and sciences, one of which treats of

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

. His reputation was known by the Archduchess

Isabella Clara Eugenia Isabella Clara Eugenia (; 12 August 1566 – 1 December 1633), sometimes referred to as Clara Isabella Eugenia, was sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, which comprised the Low Countries and the north of modern France, with her husband Albert ...

and

Emperor Ferdinand III Ferdinand III (Ferdinand Ernest; 13 July 1608 – 2 April 1657) was Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1625, King of Bohemia from 1627 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1637 to his death. Ferdinand ascended the throne at the begi ...

Pierre Gassendi Pierre Gassendi (; also Pierre Gassend, Petrus Gassendi, Petrus Gassendus; 22 January 1592 – 24 October 1655) was a French philosopher, Catholic priest, astronomer, and mathematician. While he held a church position in south-east France, he a ...

's biography of Nicolas Peiresc mentions that in 1620 he consulted Gevartius, "a famous and (if ever any) a true Schollar", about the

Duke of Aarschot The Duke of Aarschot (or ''Aerschot'') was one of the most important aristocratic titles in the Low Countries, named after the Brabantian city of Aarschot. The title was held by the House of Croÿ and the House of Arenberg. The present Duke is Leo ...

's cabinet of curiosities. He was appointed councillor of state and historiographer royal by both

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV (, ; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the ...

and the

. On 14 May 1625 Gevartius married Marie Haecx in the church of St James in Antwerp. Their son died at the age of 12; their daughter married Charles Sivori, whose father, Anthonie Sivori, served eleven terms as mayor of Antwerp. In 1625, 1627 and 1632 he served as secretary to the Antwerp branch of the

Sodality of Our Lady The Sodality of Our Lady, also known as the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary (in Latin, ''Congregationes seu sodalitates B. Mariæ Virginis''), is a Roman Catholic Marian society founded in 1563 by young Belgian Jesuit Jean Leunis (or Jan) a ...

. He was admitted to citizenship of the city of Antwerp on 11 September 1632. He was a personal friend of Rubens, and had a portrait painted by him and

Paul de Vos Paul de Vos (1591/92, or 1595 in Hulst – 30 June 1678 in Antwerp) was a Flemish Baroque painter who specialized in mainly in compositions of animals, hunting scenes and still lifes. He worked for an elite clientele and was a regular collaborat ...

with a bust of Marcus Aurelius. He took care of

Albert Rubens Albert Rubens (1614–1657), was the eldest son of Peter Paul Rubens and Isabella Brant. His research as a philologist and scholar of antiquity gained him the recognition of fellow scholars throughout Europe. He held an official position in the gov ...

(1614–1657) when his father was on mission of the Archduke. Correspondence between Gevartius and Rubens is conserved in the

Royal Library of Belgium The Royal Library of Belgium ( ; ; , abbreviated ''KBR'' and sometimes nicknamed in French or in Dutch) is the national library of Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Duke of Burgundy, Dukes of Burgundy. In ...

. He worked together with Rubens and

Theodoor van Thulden Theodoor van Thulden (1606–12 July 1669) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and engraver born in 's-Hertogenbosch in the duchy of Brabant. He is mainly known for his altarpieces, mythological subjects, allegorical works and portraits. He was ...

on the ''Pompa introitus honori Serenissimi Principis Ferdinandi Austriaci Hispaniarum Infantis ...''. Gevartius received the

tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...

in the chapel of the

bishop of Antwerp The Diocese of Antwerp () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. The diocese was restored in 1961. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen- ...

on 8 February 1665. He died in Antwerp on 23 March 1666 and was buried in the Cathedral of Our Lady.P. Rombouts and T. Van Lerius (eds.), ''De Liggeren en andere historische archieven der Antwerpsche Sint Lucasgilde'' (Antwerp, n.d.), p. 592.

Works

* ''Publii Papinii Statii Opera omnia'', Leiden, 1616 * ''Electorum libri III. In quibus plurima veterum scriptorum loca obscura & controuersa explicantur, illustrantur & emendantur''. Published by Sebastian Cramoy, Paris, 1619 * ''Pompa Introitus Honore ... Ferdinandi Austriaci'',1641 * ''Inscriptiones theatri pacis Hispano-batavicae'', Antwerp, 1648 * ''Inscriptiones honori serenissimi principis, Leopoldi Gulielmi, archiducis Austriae'', Antwerp, 1648 * ''Hymenaeus pacifer; sive theatrum pacis Hispano-gallicae''. Published by

Plantin Press The Plantin Press at Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest ...

, Antwerp, 1661 * ''Monumentum sepulchrale, sive inscriptiones tumuli'', Antwerp, 1666 * ''Votum ad divam virginem aspricollinam sospitatricem, pro salute ac longaevitate serenissimorum principum Alberti et Isabellae''

Studies

A biography of Gevartius by Marcel Hoc was published under the title ''Le déclin de l'humanisme belge: étude sur Jean-Gaspard Gevaerts, philologue et poète (1593–1666)'' (Brussels, Paris and London, 1922).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gevartius, Gaspar 1593 births 1666 deaths Writers from Antwerp Flemish Renaissance humanists Belgian philologists People from Turnhout

Life

Works

Studies

See also

Notes