or is a book written by the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium ...

writer and painter

Karel van Mander Karel van Mander (I) or Carel van Mander I (May 1548 – 2 September 1606) was a Flemish painter, poet, art historian and art theoretician, who established himself in the Dutch Republic in the latter part of his life. He is mainly remember ...

first published in 1604 in Haarlem in the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

, where van Mander resided. The book is written in 17th-century Dutch and its title is commonly translated into English as 'The Book of Painters' or 'The Book of (or on) Painting' and sometimes as 'The Book on Picturing'. consists of six parts and is considered one of the principal sources on the history of art and art theory in the 15th and 16th century

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

. The book was very well received and sold well. Karel van Mander died two years after its publication. A second posthumous edition, which included a brief, anonymous biography of van Mander was published in 1618. This second edition was translated by Hessel Miedema into English and published in 1994-1997 together with a facsimile of the original and five volumes of notes on the text.

Summary

is divided into six parts that have separate title pages and are indexed. The parts are: * The foundations of the noble and free art of painting () * Lives of the illustrious ancient painters including Egyptians, Greek and Romans () * Lives of the modern or contemporary illustrious Italian painters () * Lives of the illustrious Netherlandish and German painters () * Commentary on the Metamorphoses of Publius Ovidius Nasso () * Depiction of figures ()

Historiographic background

The history of early Netherlandish painting was first described by the Italian Lodovico Guicciardini in his (1567; The Description of the Low Countries). This book formed a source for

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work '' The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculp ...

's famous biographical accounts of painters in his book '' Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', often referred to as the . That tradition took little account of the geographic topology of the

Low countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

and the

van Eyck Van Eyck or Van Eijk () is a Dutch toponymic surname. ''Eijck'', ''Eyck'', ''Eyk'' and ''Eijk'' are all archaic spellings of modern Dutch ("oak") and the surname literally translates as "from/of oak". However, in most cases, the family name refers ...

brothers were considered the fathers of Netherlandish painting concentrated in

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Scienc ...

. Karel van Mander intended to correct this misconception by listing all the famous early Netherlandish painters. He encountered many difficulties in obtaining accurate information, due to the political and religious unrest at the time. The biographies in the are similar in style and format to Vasari's . Karel van Mander digresses only rarely from the format: starting per painter with an overview of the childhood years and a list of teachers, followed by some career information and concluding with a list of notable works. The second edition includes a biography of van Mander himself that Miedema believes was written by his brother, who may have been with him on his deathbed. Other candidates have been proposed as authors of the biography. Recently his son

Karel van Mander the Younger Karel may refer to: People * Karel (given name) * Karel (surname) * Charles Karel Bouley, talk radio personality known on air as Karel * Christiaan Karel Appel Christiaan Karel Appel (; 25 April 1921 – 3 May 2006) was a Dutch painter, sc ...

was identified as a possible author. His son would have relied on biographical information that Karel van Mander had written himself as well as on his own recollections and notes. The information in the biographical sketch is not entirely reliable but is still regarded as the best source of information on van Mander's life.H. Duits, 'Het leven van Karel van Mander. Kunstenaarsleven of schrijversbiografie?'
De zeventiende eeuw 9 (1993), nr. 2, p. 117-136 Van Mander was writing in a country where

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

s were powerful and religious art was regarded with suspicion. The market for religious subjects was quickly replaced in favor of genre scenes and historical allegories. It became fashionable to choose politically correct subjects such as stories too old to be offensive to either Protestants or Catholics. The city of Haarlem needed to reinvent itself after losing its attraction as a pilgrimage site for St. Bavo. Its leaders commissioned paintings depicting the city's glorious past, such as in the story of the crusade against

Damietta Damietta ( arz, دمياط ' ; cop, ⲧⲁⲙⲓⲁϯ, Tamiati) is a port city and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt, a former bishopric and present multiple Catholic titular see. It is located at the Damietta branch, an easte ...

, which was the basis for the Coat of arms of Haarlem. Artists and writers helped update the local source of inspiration for art. Van Mander contributed to this effort by supplying a list of biographies of ancient painters in ''Lives of Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman painters'' and his commentaries on

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the ...

's Metamorphoses and the depiction of figures.

The six parts of the

The foundations of the noble and free art of painting

The book begins with a book on the "foundation" of the art of paintings. This introductory book has fourteen chapters on art theory listing such subjects as landscapes, animals, drapery, and arrangements of subjects.

Lives of the illustrious ancient painters including Egyptians, Greek and Roman

s biographies of ancient painters is almost entirely based on Pliny's ''

Naturalis Historia The ''Natural History'' ( la, Naturalis historia) is a work by Pliny the Elder. The largest single work to have survived from the Roman Empire to the modern day, the ''Natural History'' compiles information gleaned from other ancient authors. ...

'' and offers no new material.

Van Mander's list of ancient Greek painters

* Agatharchus * Androcydes *

Antiphilus Antiphilus ( grc, Ἀντίφιλος) was an ancient Greek painter from Naucratis, Egypt, in the age of Alexander the Great. He worked for Philip II of Macedon and Ptolemy I of Egypt. Thus, he was a contemporary of Apelles, whose rival he is s ...

Apelles Apelles of Kos (; grc-gre, Ἀπελλῆς; fl. 4th century BC) was a renowned painter of ancient Greece. Pliny the Elder, to whom much of modern scholars' knowledge of this artist is owed ('' Naturalis Historia'' 35.36.79–97 and ''passim ...

* Apollodorus * Aristides of Thebes *

Cimon of Cleonae Cimon of Cleonae was an early painter of ancient Greece. He was said to have introduced great improvements in drawing. He represented figures, according to Pliny Pliny may refer to: People * Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman ...

* Echion * Euphranor * Eupompus * Melanthius * Nicomachus of Thebes * Pamphilus of Amphipolis * Panaenus * Parrhasius * Pausias * Polyeidos * Polygnotus * Protogenes *

Theon of Samos Theon of Samos ( grc, Θέων ὁ Σάμιος) was an ancient Greek painter during the era of Alexander the Great, is mentioned by Quintilian as a good artist of the second rank. If we may trust the somewhat flimsy stories told about him, his ...

* Timarete * Timomachus *

Zeuxis Zeuxis may refer to: * Zeuxis (general) (), Greek general * Zeuxis (painter) (), Greek painter * Zeuxis of Tarentum (), Greek physician * Zeuxis (wrestler) Zeuxis (born November 3, 1988) is a Puerto Rican ''luchadora enmascarada'', or masked ...

Lives of the modern or contemporary illustrious Italian painters

Van Mander based this part of the on Vasari's . The had been published half a century earlier. For this reason he only translated about half of Vasari's biographical sketches, and he added Italian artists from his years in Italy, such as Tintoretto who became known after Vasari's work was published. Van Mander also purposefully editorialized Vasari's biographies by reinterpreting some of Vasari's material and by adding to Vasari's text with a view to updating it.Amy Golahny, "Insights into the Dutch Vasari: Van Mander's Life of Titian"
In:

Canadian Journal of Netherlandic Studies The ''Canadian Journal of Netherlandic Studies'' (French: ''Revue canadienne d'études néerlandaises'') is an academic journal covering Dutch studies. It is the official journal of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Netherlandic Studi ...

2001 What follows is a list of Vasari sketches that van Mander translated and included in his work: *

Cimabue Cimabue (; ; – 1302), Translated with an introduction and notes by J.C. and P Bondanella. Oxford: Oxford University Press (Oxford World’s Classics), 1991, pp. 7–14. . also known as Cenni di Pepo or Cenni di Pepi, was an Italian painter ...

* Andrea Tafi * Gaddo Gaddi * Margaritone *

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto ( , ) and Latinised as Giottus, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the Gothic/ Proto-Renaissance period. ...

, with Puccio Capanna * Stefano di Giovanni and Ugolino di Nerio * Pietro Lorenzetti (Pietro Laurati) * Buonamico Buffalmacco *

Ambrogio Lorenzetti Ambrogio Lorenzetti (; – 9 June 1348) or Ambruogio Laurati was an Italian painter of the Sienese school. He was active from approximately 1317 to 1348. He painted '' The Allegory of Good and Bad Government'' in the Sala dei Nove (Salon of Nin ...

(Ambruogio Laurati) *

Pietro Cavallini Pietro Cavallini (1259 – c. 1330) was an Italian painter and mosaic designer working during the late Middle Ages. Biography Little is known about his biography, though it is known he was from Rome, since he signed ''pictor romanus''. His fir ...

Simone Martini Simone Martini ( – 1344) was an Italian painter born in Siena. He was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic style. It is thought that Martini was a pupil ...

with Lippo Memmi * Taddeo Gaddi * Andrea Orcagna (Andrea di Cione) * Tommaso Fiorentino * Lippo *

Masaccio Masaccio (, , ; December 21, 1401 – summer 1428), born Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, was a Florentine artist who is regarded as the first great Italian painter of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaissance. According to Vasar ...

Leon Battista Alberti Leon Battista Alberti (; 14 February 1404 – 25 April 1472) was an Italian Renaissance humanist author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher, and cryptographer; he epitomised the nature of those identified now as polymaths. ...

Antonello da Messina Antonello da Messina, properly Antonello di Giovanni di Antonio, but also called Antonello degli Antoni and Anglicized as Anthony of Messina ( 1430February 1479), was an Italian painter from Messina, active during the Early Italian Renaissance. ...

Domenico Ghirlandaio Domenico di Tommaso Curradi di Doffo Bigordi (, , ; 2 June 1448 – 11 January 1494), professionally known as Domenico Ghirlandaio, also spelled as Ghirlandajo, was an Italian Renaissance painter born in Florence. Ghirlandaio was part of ...

* Antonio del Pollaiuolo *

Sandro Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, ), was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century, when he was rediscovered ...

Andrea del Verrocchio Andrea del Verrocchio (, , ; – 1488), born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was a sculptor, Italian painter and goldsmith who was a master of an important workshop in Florence. He apparently became known as ''Verrocchio'' after the ...

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, , ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g. by lowering the horizon in ord ...

Filippino Lippi Filippino Lippi (April 1457 – 18 April 1504) was an Italian painter working in Florence, Italy during the later years of the Early Renaissance and first few years of the High Renaissance. Biography Filippino Lippi was born in Prato, Tu ...

Francesco Francia __NOTOC__ Francesco Francia, whose real name was Francesco Raibolini (1447 – 5 January 1517) was an Italian painter, goldsmith, and medallist from Bologna, who was also director of the city mint.Levinson:492 He may have trained with Marco Zop ...

Pietro Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil. Ear ...

Luca Signorelli Luca Signorelli ( – 16 October 1523) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Cortona in Tuscany, who was noted in particular for his ability as a draftsman and his use of foreshortening. His massive frescos of the ''Last Judgment'' (1499� ...

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially re ...

Giorgione da Castelfranco Giorgione (, , ; born Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco; 1477–78 or 1473–74 – 17 September 1510) was an Italian painter of the Venetian school during the High Renaissance, who died in his thirties. He is known for the elusive poetic qualit ...

* Antonio da Correggio * Raffaellino del Garbo * Baldassare Peruzzi * Pellegrino da Modena (Pellegrino Aretusi) *

Andrea del Sarto Andrea del Sarto (, , ; 16 July 1486 – 29 September 1530) was an List of Italian painters, Italian painter from Florence, whose career flourished during the High Renaissance and early Mannerism. He was known as an outstanding fresco decorator, ...

* Giovanni Antonio Licino * Polidoro da Caravaggio and Maturino da Firenze (''Maturino Fiorentino'') * Bartolommeo Ramenghi (''Bartolomeo Da Bagnacavallo'') * Franciabigio *

Francesco Mazzola Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 150324 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino (, , ; "the little one from Parma"), was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, Bol ...

Jacopo Palma Palma Vecchio (c. 1480 – 30 July 1528), born Jacopo Palma, also known as Jacopo Negretti, was a Venetian painter of the Italian High Renaissance. He is called Palma Vecchio in English and Palma il Vecchio in Italian ("Palma the Elder") to di ...

(Il Palma) *

Lorenzo Lotto Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1480 – 1556/57) was an Italian painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school, though much of his career was spent in other north Italian cities. He painted mainly altarpieces, religiou ...

* Giulio Romano * Sebastiano del Piombo (Sebastiano Viniziano) * Perino Del Vaga * Giovann'Antonio Lappoli * Baccio Bandinelli * Jacopo da Pontormo * Giovanni da Udine * Francesco Rustichi * Francesco detto de' Salviati * Daniello Ricciarelli da Volterra * Taddeo Zucchero *

Michelangelo Buonarroti Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

(Michelangelo) *

Francesco Primaticcio Francesco Primaticcio (April 30, 1504 – 1570) was an Italian Mannerist painter, architect and sculptor who spent most of his career in France. Biography Born in Bologna, he trained under Giulio Romano in Mantua and became a pupil of ...

* Tiziano da Cadore (Titian) * Tintoretto * Paulo Caliary, student of

Giovanni Francesco Caroto Giovanni Francesco Caroto (1480 – 1555 or 1558) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance active mainly in his native city of Verona. He initially apprenticed under Liberale da Verona (1445–1526/1529), a conservative painter infused with the ...

Jacopo Bassano Jacopo Bassano (c. 1510 – 14 February 1592), known also as Jacopo dal Ponte, was an Italian painter who was born and died in Bassano del Grappa near Venice, and took the village as his surname. Trained in the workshop of his father, Francesco ...

* Frederick Zucchero * Frederick Barozio *

* Giuseppe Cesari * Other Italian painters worthy of mention;

Annibale Carracci Annibale Carracci (; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome. Along with his brother and cousin, Annibale was one of the progenitors, if not founders of a leading strand of t ...

(Caratz),

Michael Agnolo van Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

* List of painters he knew during his time in Italy, and afterwards; Girolamo Siciolante da Sermoneta,

Antonio Tempesta Antonio Tempesta, also called il Tempestino (1555 – 5 August 1630), was an Italian painter and engraver, whose art acted as a point of connection between Baroque Rome and the culture of Antwerp. Much of his work depicts major battles and his ...

, Ventura Salimbeni, Marco Pino,

Andrea Boscoli Andrea Boscoli (c. 1560 – c. 1606) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. He was born in Florence, where he trained under Santi di Tito. He painted a ''Sermon of St John the Baptist'' for the church of San Giovanni Battista belonging to th ...

Lives of the illustrious Netherlandish and German painters

Van Mander is less known for his translated work on Italian art than he is for his biographical sketches of Netherlandish painters. What follows is the list of already famous painters from the low countries discussed in the book. * Jan and

Hubert van Eyck Hubert van Eyck () or Huybrecht van Eyck ( – 18 September 1426) was an Early Netherlandish painter and older brother of Jan van Eyck, as well as Lambert and Margareta, also painters. The absence of any single work that he can clearly be said t ...

* Rogier van Brugghe *

Hugo van der Goes Hugo van der Goes (c. 1430/1440 – 1482) was one of the most significant and original Flemish painters of the late 15th century. Van der Goes was an important painter of altarpieces as well as portraits. He introduced important innovations in pai ...

Albert van Ouwater Albert van Ouwater ( 1410/1415 – 1475) was one of the earliest artists of Early Netherlandish painting working in the Northern Netherlands, as opposed to Flanders in the South of the region. Biography He was probably born in Oudewater, and is m ...

and

Albert Simonsz Albert Simonsz a distinguished historical painter, born at Haarlem in 1523, told Karel van Mander in 1604 that he had been a scholar of Jan Mostaert 60 years previously when Mostaert himself was already an old man of 70. Van Mander noted his rema ...

* Geertgen tot Sint Jans *

Dirk Bouts Dieric Bouts (born c. 1415 – 6 May 1475) was an Early Netherlandish painter. Bouts may have studied under Rogier van der Weyden, and his work was influenced by van der Weyden and Jan van Eyck. He worked in Leuven from 1457 (or possibly earlier ...

Rogier van der Weyden Rogier van der Weyden () or Roger de la Pasture (1399 or 140018 June 1464) was an Early Netherlandish painting, early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commissioned single and dip ...

Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen (before 1470 – 1533) was a Northern Netherlandish designer of woodcuts and painter. He was one of the first important artists working in Amsterdam, at a time when it was a flourishing and beautiful provincial ...

* Albrecht Dürer *

Cornelis Engelbrechtsz Cornelis Engebrechtsz., also known as Cornelis Engelbrechtsz. (c.1462–1527) was an early Dutch painter. He was born and died in Leiden, and is considered the first important painter from that city.

Bernard van Orley Bernard van Orley (between 1487 and 1491 – 6 January 1541), also called Barend or Barent van Orley, Bernaert van Orley or Barend van Brussel, was a versatile Flemish artist and representative of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, who w ...

Lucas van Leyden Lucas van Leyden (1494 – 8 August 1533), also named either Lucas Hugensz or Lucas Jacobsz, was a Dutch painter and printmaker in engraving and woodcut. Lucas van Leyden was among the first Dutch exponents of genre painting and was a very ac ...

Ian den Hollander Jan van Amstel, or Jan de Hollander, (c. 1500 – c. 1542) was a Dutch Northern Renaissance painter. Jan van Amstel was born in Amsterdam. In or before 1528, van Amstel moved to Antwerp; in that year he joined the city's Guild of Saint Lu ...

* Quentin Matsys *

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/ Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on o ...

Cornelis Cornelisz Kunst Cornelis Cornelisz. Kunst (1493, Leiden – 1544, Leiden), was a Dutch Renaissance painter. Biography According to Karel van Mander, who claimed he lived 1493–1544, he was the best among his painter-brothers, as son and pupil of his fathe ...

* Lucas Cornelisz de Kock *

Jan Joest van Calcar Jan Joest, also known as Jan Joest van Kalkar or Jan Joest van Calcar (between 1450 and 1460 – 1519), was a Dutch painter from either Kalkar or Wesel (both now in Germany), known for his religious paintings. Biography Jan Joest was pra ...

* Pieter van Aelst *

Joachim Patinir Joachim Patinir, also called Patenier (c. 1480 – 5 October 1524), was a Flemish Renaissance painter of history and landscape subjects. He was Flemish, from the area of modern Wallonia, but worked in Antwerp, then the centre of the art marke ...

* Herri met de Bles * Lucas Gassel van Helmont * Lambert Lombard * Hans Holbein the Younger * Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen *

Jan Mabuse Jan Gossaert (c. 1478 – 1 October 1532) was a French-speaking painter from the Low Countries also known as Jan Mabuse (the name he adopted from his birthplace, Maubeuge) or Jennyn van Hennegouwe ( Hainaut), as he called himself when he matr ...

* Augustijn Ioorisz * Joos van Cleve * Aldegraef * Swart Jan * Frans Minnebroer with Frans Verbeeck, Vincent Geldersman, Hans Hoogenbergh, Frans Crabbe, Claes Roegier, Hans Kaynoot den dooven,

Cornelis Enghelrams Cornelis is a Dutch language, Dutch form of the male given name Cornelius (name), Cornelius. Some common shortened versions of Cornelis in Dutch are Cees, Cor, Corné, Corneel, Crelis, Kees (given name), Kees, Neel and Nelis. Cornelis (Kees) an ...

Marcus Willems Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...

, and Iaques de Poindre, and Gregorius Beerings * Jan Mostaert *

Adriaen de Weerdt Adriaan de Weerdt (c. 1510 in Brussels – c. 1590 in Cologne) was a Flemish Renaissance painter and engraver. Biography According to Karel van Mander he travelled to Antwerp to learn to paint from Christian van den Queborn (whose son Daniel beca ...

* Hendrick and Marten van Cleef * Anthonis Mor * Jacob de Backer * Matthys Cock and

Hieronymus Cock Hieronymus Cock, or Hieronymus Wellens de Cock (1518 – 3 October 1570) was a Flemish painter and etcher as well as a publisher and distributor of prints.

Willem Key Willem Adriaensz Key (1516 – 5 June 1568) was a Flemish Renaissance painter. Biography Key was born in Breda, Netherlands. In 1529 he was known to be a pupil of Pieter Coecke van Aelst in Antwerp. Later, together with Frans Floris, he ...

* Pieter Brueghel the Elder * Jan van Scorel *

Aertgen van Leyden Aertgen Claesz. van Leyden (Leiden, c. 1498 – Leiden, c. 1564), also known as Allaert or Aert van Leyden or Aert Claesz. van Leyden, was a 16th-Century Dutch painter, draughtsman and designer of stained glass. Works by this artist can be foun ...

Joachim Beuckelaer Joachim Beuckelaer (c. 1533 – c. 1570/4) was a Flemish painter specialising in market and kitchen scenes with elaborate displays of food and household equipment. He also painted still lifes with no figures in the central scene.

Frans Floris Frans Floris, Frans Floris the Elder or Frans Floris de Vriendt (17 April 15191 October 1570) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman, print artist and tapestry designer. He is mainly known for his history paintings, allegorical scenes and portraits.< ...

Pieter Aertsen Pieter Aertsen (1508 – 2 June 1575), called ''Lange Piet'' ("Tall Pete") because of his height, was a Dutch painter in the style of Northern Mannerism. He is credited with the invention of the monumental genre scene, which combines still lif ...

Maarten van Heemskerck Maarten van Heemskerck or ''Marten Jacobsz Heemskerk van Veen'' (1 June 1498 - 1 October 1574) was a Dutch portrait and religious painter, who spent most of his career in Haarlem. He was a pupil of Jan van Scorel, and adopted his teacher's Ita ...

Richard Aertsz Richard Aartsz, or Rijckaert Aertsz (1482 – May 1577) was a Dutch Renaissance painter of historical allegories. Most of his works were painted while he lived in Antwerp. He was a pupil of Jan Mostaert in Haarlem. Frans Floris became his pupil an ...

Hubert Goltz Hubert Goltz or Goltzius (30 October 1526 – 24 March 1583) was a Renaissance painter, engraver, and printer from the Southern Netherlands. He is not to be confused with the much more famous Hendrik Goltzius, who was his cousin, once remov ...

* Pieter Vlerick van Cortrijck and Carel van Yper * Anthonie van Montfoort *

Lucas de Heere Lucas de Heere (1534 – 29 August 1584) was a Flemish painter, poet and writer. His costume books and portraits are a valuable resource in depicting 16th-century clothing. Biography Lucas de Heere, a Protestant, was born in Ghent, the ...

* Jacques Grimmaer * Cornelis Molenaer * Pieter Balten * Joos van Liere *

Pieter Pourbus Pieter Jansz. Pourbus (c. 1523–1584) was a Flemish Renaissance painter, draftsman, engineer and cartographer who was active in Bruges during the 16th century. He is known primarily for his religious and portrait paintings.

and

Frans Pourbus the Elder Frans Pourbus the ElderGaëlle Brackez, ''Frans Pourbus de oudere (1545-1581) Een blik op zijn leven en oeuvre volume i: tekst'', Masterproef voorgelegd aan de Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte, Vakgroep Kunst -, Muziek- en Theaterwetenschappen ...

with Frans Pourbus the younger * Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder * Christoffel Swarts *

Michael Coxcie Michiel Coxie the Elder, Michiel Coxcie the Elder or Michiel van Coxcie, Latinised name ''Coxius''Michiel Coxie (I) ...

* Dirck Barendsz * Lucas and

Marten van Valckenborgh A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family (biology), family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark bro ...

* Hans Bol * Frans and

Gillis Mostart Gillis may refer to: People *Gillis (surname), list of people with this name *Gillis Wilson, American football player Places ;Belgium *Sint-Gillis (Saint-Gilles, Belgium), municipality *Sint-Gillis-Waas, municipality *Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde, ...

with

Jan Mandijn Jan Mandijn or Jan Mandyn (c. 1500, Haarlem – c. 1560, Antwerp) was a Dutch Renaissance painter, who worked in Antwerp after 1530. Biography Mandijn trained in Haarlem. He moved to Antwerp in 1530.Marinus van Reymerswaele *

Hendrik van Steenwijk I Hendrik van Steenwijck I (also ''Steenwyck'', ''Steenwijk'') (''c''. 1550 – buried 1 September 1603Hendrik ...

* Bernaert de Rijcke * Gielis Coignet *

Joris Hoefnagel Joris Hoefnagel or Georg Hoefnagel (1542, in Antwerp – 24 July 1601, in Vienna) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, miniaturist, draftsman and merchant. He is noted for his illustrations of natural history subjects, topographical views, ...

* Aert Mijtens *

Joos van Winghe Joos van Winghe, Jodocus a Winghe or Jodocus van Winghen (1544–1603) was a Flemish painter and print designer. He is known for his history paintings, portraits, allegories and genre scenes, including merry companies. He worked in Brussel ...

n * Marten de Vos Van Mander also described contemporary painters who he felt were of note. The following is a list of all of these painters. * Hans Vredeman de Vries * Stradanus * Gillis van Coninxloo *

Bartholomeus Spranger Bartholomeus Spranger or Bartholomaeus SprangerBartholomeus Spranger
at the

* Cornelis Ketel * Gualdrop Gortzius * Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt *

Hendrick Goltzius Hendrick Goltzius, or Hendrik, (; ; January or February 1558 – 1 January 1617) was a German-born Dutch printmaker, draftsman, and painter. He was the leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period, or Northern Mannerism, lauded for h ...

Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom Hendrik Cornelisz Vroom (c.1562 – February 4, 1640 (buried)) was a Dutch Golden Age painter credited with being the founder of Dutch marine art or seascape painting.Jan Soens *

Hans von Aachen Hans von Aachen (1552 – 4 March 1615) was a German painter who was one of the leading representatives of Northern Mannerism. Hans von Aachen was a versatile and productive artist who worked in many genres. He was successful as a painter of pr ...

* Peter Candid * Paul Bril and

Matthijs Bril Matthijs Bril or Matthijs Bril the Younger (1550 – 8 June 1583) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman of landscapes. He spent most of his active career in Rome where his drawings of ancient Roman sites played an important role in the development ...

Cornelis van Haarlem Cornelis Corneliszoon van Haarlem (1562 – 11 November 1638) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and draughtsman, one of the leading Northern Mannerist artists in the Netherlands, and an important forerunner of Frans Hals as a portraitist. Biograph ...

, with

Gerrit Pietersz Sweelink Gerrit Pietersz Sweelink (1566–1612) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Sweelink was born and died in Amsterdam. According to Karel van Mander he was first taught to paint by Jacob Lenartsz, a glasspainter of Amsterdam whose fathe ...

Jacob de Gheyn II Jacob de Gheyn II (also Jacques de Gheyn II) (c. 1565 – 29 March 1629) was a Dutch painter and engraver, whose work shows the transition from Northern Mannerism to Dutch realism over the course of his career. Biography De Gheyn was born ...

Otto van Veen Otto van Veen, also known by his Latinized name Otto Venius or Octavius Vaenius (1556 – 6 May 1629), was a painter, draughtsman, and humanist active primarily in Antwerp and Brussels in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known fo ...

Jan Snellinck Jan Snellinck or Jan Snellinck (I)Jan Snellinck
at the

Tobias Verhaecht, Adam van Noort, Hendrick van Balen, Sebastian Vrancx, Joos de Momper * Hans Rottenhammer, Hans Donauer, Adam Elsheimer, Lodewijk Toeput * Joachim Wtewael * Abraham Bloemaert * Pieter Cornelisz van Rijck *

Francesco Badens Frans BadensFrans Badens
at the

David Vinckboons David Vinckboons (baptized 13 August 1576 – c.1632 ) was a Dutch Golden Age painter born in Mechelen, Southern Netherlands. Vinckboons, whose name is often spelled as Vingboons, Vinghboons, Vinckebonis or Vinckboom, had at least ten child ...

Cornelis Floris de Vriendt Cornelis Floris or Cornelis (II) Floris De Vriendt (c. 1514 – 20 October 1575) was a Flemish sculptor, architect, draughtsman, medallist and designer of prints and luxury. He operated a large workshop in Antwerp from which he worked on many ...

, Paulus Moreelse, Michael Mierevelt, Frans de Grebber, Jacob Savery,

Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen (c. 1576 – 29 December 1633) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Van Wieringen was born and died in Haarlem. He was the son of a Haarlem captain, and drew, painted and etched with his friends Hendric ...

Barend Barend or (somewhat dated spelling) Barent is a Dutch male given name and occasional middle name. As of 2014, there are over 4,000 men in the Netherlands with this as their first name, and nearly 3,000 with it as their middle name. It was likely de ...

and Paulus van Someren, Cornelis van der Voort,

Everard Crynsz van der Maes Everard Crynsz. van der Maes (1577, The Hague – 1647, The Hague), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography According to Karel van Mander he was a painter from The Hague who had travelled to Italy and had returned home shortly before th ...

, Jan Antonisz. van Ravesteyn, Aart Jansz Druyvesteyn, Jacques de Mosscher, Thonis Ariaensz (Alkmaar), Claes Jacobsz van der Heck (Alkmaar), Pieter Gerritsz Montfoort (Delft), Pieter Diericksen Cluyt (Delft) * Joan Ariaensz van Leiden, and Hubert Tons van Rotterdam

Commentary on the ''Metamorphoses'' of Publius Ovidius Nasso

Van Mander had received a humanist training and had earlier published a translation of Ovid's ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his '' magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the ...

''. In the he provided a commentary on the ''Metamorphoses''. Van Mander accepted the Renaissance view that there was no conflict between classical mythology and Old Testament history and that mythology was able to convey evangelical truths and lessons. For instance, the myth of the Titans assaulting Jupiter's throne could be interpreted as an illustration of the Christian dictum that pride is the cause of all evil. The allegorized interpretation of the ''

'' of Ovid in the is inspired by this Renaissance view of classical mythology.Karel van Mander in: Marijke Spies, Ton van Strien and Henk Duits, 'Amsterdam University Press ''Rhetoric Rhetoricians and Poets, Studies in Renaissance Poetry and Poetics'', 1999, p. 93-97 This part was well-received and was later sold as a separate book.

Depiction of figures

The final book about the depiction of figures contains a list of various animals, birds and other objects that can have meaning for the painter to include in his arrangement. This book includes some pagan rituals for use in historical allegories. Included before the index to the ''Metamorphoses'', it is meant as an extra guide for that book.

The indexes

Because the pages are numbered only on the right-hand page, the indexes have an addendum to the page number to indicate the front (recto) or back (verso) of the "folio" to be able to locate text more efficiently. Looking up painters remains difficult because the indexes use first names rather than last names, since the last names in use by the painters themselves were not consistent in all regions where the painters were active. Many painters were better known by their nicknames than their given names. For this reason, the spelling of the names used in the text does not always match the names in the indexes.

Legacy

Karel van Mander - Schilderboeck - Title page of fourth part on Netherlandish and High-German painters

The introduced Dutch and Flemish artists to Italian art and encouraged them to travel to Italy. The was very influential on art writing in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Cornelis de Bie (, 1662), Joachim von Sandrart (, 1675),

Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten (2 August 1627, in Dordrecht – 19 October 1678, in Dordrecht) was a Dutch painter of the Golden Age, who was also a poet and author on art theory. Biography Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten trained first with his fat ...

(, 1678),

Filippo Baldinucci Filippo Baldinucci (3 June 1625 – 10 January 1696) was an Italian art historian and biographer. Life Baldinucci is considered among the most significant Florentine biographers/historians of the artists and the arts of the Baroque period. ...

(, 1681) and Arnold Houbraken (, 1720) are some of the early biographers who used material from the for their biographical sketches of Netherlandish painters or as a basis for developing their own art theory. The ''Lives of the illustrious Netherlandish and German painters'' is the longest book in the . It has historically been and still is the most important book for historians looking for details on (early) Netherlandish painters.Walter S. Melion, ''Shaping the Netherlandish Canon: Karel Van Mander's Schilder-Boeck'', University of Chicago Press, 1991 This book is still the most-cited primary source in biographical accounts of the lives of many artists he included. Of most interest to historians is his criticism of the work of these artists, especially when he describes the painting style, use of color, location and owner of the paintings, thus becoming a valuable source for art

provenance Provenance (from the French ''provenir'', 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody or location of a historical object. The term was originally mostly used in relation to works of art but is now used in similar senses i ...

. The is included in the ''Basic Library'' of the ''dbnl'' ( Canon of Dutch Literature), which contains what its compilers believe to be the 1,000 most important works in Dutch literature from the Middle Ages to today.

Translation

The ''Lives of the illustrious Netherlandish and German painters'' was translated into modern Dutch and English by Miedema and published in the 1990s. In his attempt to provide a systematic overview of the ''Lives'', Miedema includes a long list of the sources on which Karel van Mander relied as he did for his own modern translation, and includes prints, photos of paintings, sculpture, architecture and stained glass window cartoons to illustrate the text. He also publishes new archival evidence. ''Karel van Mander. Den Grondt der Edel Vry Schilderkonst'', by Hessel Miedema, Utrecht, 1973. 2 vols.