Leendert van der Cooghen (
Haarlem
Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...
, 9 May 1632 – Haarlem, 18 February 1681) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman and printmaker. An amateur artist of independent means, he left a small oeuvre of which his drawings represent the major portion.
[B.J.L. Coenen, 'The drawings of the Haarlem amateur Leendert van der Cooghen', Master Drawings 43 (2005), p. 5-90] Recognised by his fellow artists, he was admitted to the Haarlem
Guild of Saint Luke
The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Evangelist Luke, the patron saint of artists, who was iden ...
in 1652.
[Leendert van der Cooghen, ''Seated old man'']
at the Harvard Art Museums
Life
Leendert van der Cooghen was born in Haarlem on 9 May 1632 as the son of the Flemish flax merchant Jacob Adriaensz. van der Cooghen and Agneta Casteleyns Leenaerdtsdochter, from the well-to-do van Beeresteyn family in Haarlem.
[Leendert van der Cooghen, ''Saint Bavo with Falcon'']
at the Nicolaes Teeuwisse[H. van Hall, 'Biografische aantekeningen', Oud-Holland 71 (1956), p. 171-172 ] The family was possibly Catholic as in 1648 he joined a Catholic local militia, a so-called
schutterij
Schutterij () refers to a voluntary city guard or citizen militia in the medieval and early modern Netherlands, intended to protect the town or city from attack and act in case of revolt or fire. Their training grounds were often on open spaces w ...
.
[ He is believed to have trained with the Flemish painter , either in ]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 ...
in the late 1640s, or more likely during Jordaens' presence in the Dutch Republic while working on decorations in the Oranjezaal at the Huis ten Bosch
Huis ten Bosch (, ; ) is a royal palace in The Hague, Netherlands. It is one of three official residences of the Dutch monarch; the two others being the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague and the Royal Palace of Amsterdam.
Huis ten Bosch was th ...
.[Leendert van der Cooghen]
at the Netherlands Institute for Art History
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 ...
Around 1650 or 1651 he became a friend of the local artist Cornelis Bega
Cornelis Pietersz Bega, or ''Cornelis Pietersz Begijn'' (1631/32 – 27 August 1664) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver.
Bega was born, lived and worked in Haarlem and was the son of sculptor and goldsmith Pieter Jansz. Begijn. His mo ...
who was about his own age and gave him artistic training.[ They also shared a studio.][ He does not seem to have joined Bega when the latter and other young Haarlem artists ]Dirk Helmbreker
Dirck Helmbreker, Theodor Helmbreeker, or Teodoro Elembrech (1633–1696) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of Italianate landscapes.
Biography
According to Houbraken he lived from 1624 to 1694, but this has since been proven to be incorrect.