
Pieter Wouwerman (September 13, 1623 – May 9, 1682) was a
Dutch Golden Age
The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and art an ...
landscape painter.
Biography
He was born in
Haarlem. According to
Arnold Houbraken, a biographer of artists from the
Dutch Golden Age
The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and art an ...
, Pieter Wouwerman was the brother of the landscape painters
Jan and
Philips Wouwerman
Philips Wouwerman (also Wouwermans) (24 May 1619 (baptized) – 19 May 1668) was a Dutch painter of hunting, landscape and battle scenes.
Life and work
Philips Wouwerman was one of the most versatile and prolific artists of the Dutch Golden Ag ...
, who, like his more famous brother, made a living selling Italianate landscapes in the manner of
Pieter van Laer
Pieter Bodding van Laer (christened 14 December 1599, Haarlem – 1641 or later) was a Dutch painter and printmaker. He was active in Rome for over a decade and was known for genre scenes, animal paintings and landscapes placed in the environ ...
.
[Pieter Wouwerman Biography]
in ''De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen'' (1718) by Arnold Houbraken, courtesy of the Digital library for Dutch literature
The Digital Library for Dutch Literature (Dutch: Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren or DBNL) is a website (showing the abbreviation as dbnl) about Dutch language and Dutch literature. It contains thousands of literary texts, second ...
Houbraken mentioned a story in which Philips Wouwerman burned his sketchbooks before his death, so that his brother wouldn't be able to use them and cash in on his name.
Houbraken claimed that the story was malicious gossip, but he had heard another story that was probably closer to the truth. Apparently when Pieter van Laer returned to Haarlem, his art was worth less than what he received in Rome, but he wouldn't lower his price. When a landscape that Laer made was considered too expensive, the buyer contracted the then young Philips Wouwermans to copy it, which he did quite well. The success of this transaction launched the career of the young Wouwermans at the expense of Pieter van Laer, and Houbraken heard from
Michiel Carré who in turn heard it from
Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten
Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten (21 April 1630 – 10 July 1700) was a Dutch painter of still lifes, in particular floral and vanitas still lifes. He also painted genre scenes and portraits. After starting his career in Haarlem, he worked mo ...
and
Jacob de Wet that guilt forced Wouwerman to burn the proof of all of his copies before he died.
According to the
RKD
The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...
(Netherlands Institute for Art History), he was a student of
Roelant Roghman
Roelant Roghman (14 March 1627 - 3 January 1692) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, sketcher and engraver.
Biography
Roghman was born in Amsterdam, the son of the engraver Henrick Lambertsz Roghman and Maria Jacobs Savery. His mother was a daughter ...
, his older brother Philips, and his father Pouwels.
[Pieter Wouwerman]
in the RKD
The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...
He left Haarlem for Amsterdam in 1657.
He died in 1682 in Amsterdam.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wouwerman, Pieter
1623 births
1682 deaths
Dutch Golden Age painters
Dutch male painters
Artists from Haarlem
Painters from Haarlem