Willem Doudijns (1630–1697), was a

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...

painter and engraver.

Biography

According to the

RKD 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 ...

he learned to draw from

Alexander le Petit Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are A ...

, and he spent 12 years in Italy. He returned home in 1661, where he collaborated with

Jan de Bisschop Jan de Bisschop, also known as Johannes Episcopius (1628–1671), was a lawyer, who became a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver. Biography According to the Netherlands Institute for Art History, he learned to draw from Bartholomeus Breenber ...

on engravings. Both he and Bisschop were founding members of the

Confrerie Pictura The Confrerie Pictura was a more or less academic club of artists founded in 1656 in The Hague (the Netherlands) by local art painters, who were unsatisfied by the Guild of Saint Luke there. History The guild of St. Luke in the Hague existed a ...

and Doudijns painted a large ceiling painting for the meeting hall that has not survived. His pupil Mattheus Terwesten made a sketch of this ''Allegory of the artists leaving the Hague Guild of St. Luke'' which is now in the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the S ...

print cabinet. According to Houbraken he was the son of a mayor, and in Rome he joined the

Bentvueghels The Bentvueghels (Dutch for "Birds of a Feather") were a society of mostly Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome from about 1620 to 1720. They are also known as the Schildersbent ("painters' clique"). Activities The members, which incl ...

with the nickname ''Diomedes''. On his return became the head of the Confrerie Pictura. He was known for his wall and ceiling paintings, most notably the ''

Judgment of Solomon The Judgement of Solomon is a story from the Old Testament in which Solomon ruled between two women who both claimed to be the mother of a child. Solomon ordered the baby be cut in half, with each woman to receive one half. The first woman accept ...

'' in the ''

Vierschaar A Vierschaar is a historical term for a tribunal in the Netherlands. Before the separation of lawmaking, law enforcement, and justice duties, the government of every town was administered by a senate (called a ''Wethouderschap'') formed of two, thr ...

'', or courtroom, of the Hague city hall. His pupils were Erasmus Arondeus,

Frans Beeldemaker Francois, or Frans Beeldemaker (18 January 1659, Dordrecht – 27 April 1728, Rotterdam), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography According to Houbraken he was a painter from the Hague who travelled to Rome and joined the Bentvueghels who aw ...

, Gijsbert de Bije, Bartholomeus van Burgindis, Arnoldus Gouda, Nicolaes Hooft, Pieter van der Hulst, Daniël Jacobsz., Lowys Paen,

Nicolaes van Ravesteyn Nicolaes is a given name that is spelled Nicolaas in modern Dutch. Notable people *Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem (1620–1683), Dutch Golden Age painter * Nicolaes Boddingius (1605–1669), Dutch schoolmaster, writer and minister * Nicolaes Borrem ...

, Pieter van Reenen, Pieter Jansz van Ruyven,

Augustinus Terwesten Augustinus Terwesten or Augustinus Terwesten the Elder (4 May 1649 – 21 January 1711) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, printmaker and art educator. He specialized in portraits, architectural and historical themes. He was known in his time for ...

, Mattheus Terwesten, Michiel van der Valck, Daniël Walewijns, Domenicus van Wijnen, and

Willem Wissing Willem Wissing, known in England as William Wissing (1656 – 10 September 1687), was a Dutch portrait artist who worked in England. Biography He was born in either Amsterdam or The Hague, and studied at The Hague under Willem Doudijns (1630� ...

.Doudijns
in

References

* Jan de Bisschop and his Icones & Paradigmata, classical antiquities and Italian drawings for artistic instruction in seventeenth century Holland, by J. G. van Gelder, 1985, Davaco
Willem Doudijns
in the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doudijns, Willem 1630 births 1697 deaths Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters Artists from The Hague Members of the Bentvueghels Painters from The Hague