Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen
Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen was a Dutch artist who lived from circa 1504 to 1559. He was one of the artists of the Northern Renaissance. Vermeyen was an artist and engineer who worked for Emperor Charles V. He is remembered for his front facing detailed portrait paintings of the royal family members and courtiers.
Vermeyen was born circa 1504 to Cornelis Vermeyen, who was also an artist. His father was likely his first teacher. He also studied under Jan Gossaert and Jan van Scorel, both Romanism artists. These artists helped spread the ideals of the Italian Renaissance to the northern European countries. Vermeyen was influenced by his teachers, as seen in his art style. His fine brushwork, brilliant lighting, rendering of texture, and front facing portraits often result in confusion between his portraits and those of the well-known Northern Renaissance master, Hans Holbein.
In 1525, Vermeyen worked as a court artist for Duchess Margaret of Austria, who was the Regent Governor for Habsburg Netherlands. During this time, he became known for his portraits of the court and esteemed visitors. In 1530, he became a court artist for Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. Emperor Charles V was Duchess Margaret’s nephew.
Charles V hired Vermeyen as court artist and engineer. In that role, Vermeyen spent time between 1534 and 1535 traveling with Charles and his army during his military campaigns. In 1535, Charles’ army stormed Tunis in modern day Tunisia. Vermeyen witnessed this event and created a series of tapestries to document the historic event. Charles V admired the tapestries so much that he took them with him whenever he traveled.
Not much is known about Vermeyen. He did grow a splendidly long beard, and as a result, was sometimes referred to as Barbalonga. A large portion of his art was lost in the late sixteenth century during wars in the Netherlands. His son, Jan Vermeyen, grew up to be a talented goldsmith. Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen died in 1559 at 55 years of age.
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