Keldermans is a family of artists, originating from

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

(an independent city surrounded by the

Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant, a Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire, was established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant of 1085–1183, and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries. The Duchy comprised part of the Bu ...

). The members of the family were mostly architects working in the

Brabantine Gothic Brabantine Gothic, occasionally called Brabantian Gothic, is a significant variant of Gothic architecture that is typical for the Low Countries. It surfaced in the first half of the 14th century at St. Rumbold's Cathedral in the city of Mechele ...

style. As the most important architects of their time in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, they defined the

style, and their works can still be seen today in cities like

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

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 ...

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) 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 the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

, Lier,

Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...

and Gouda. Anthonis II and Rombout II were court architects for

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

. Laurens II, last in the line, was influenced by

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

architecture and marked the end of the Gothic period in this region. The Keldermans family became known for the design and construction of the large tower of St Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen . Jan II qualifies most as the designer, the architect and the most important master builder. However, he would not see the start of the works himself and the first stone was therefore laid under the supervision of his son Andries . Other members of the Keldermans family who successively directed the works are Anthonis I, Anthonis II, Rombout II and Laurens II.

Family tree

Name

The actual family name was Van Mansdale. Keldermans (Dutch for ''cellar man'') was a nickname given to Jan I because the family house was nicknamed '' 't Kelderken'' (the cellar). The family was not happy with the nickname and usually continued to sign documents with the name "Van Mansdale".

References

External links

Keldermans family at Archimon
{{Authority control Gothic architects Brabant Belgian families