Gilliam van der Gouwen
Illustration — Allegory of the History of Britain with the Portrait of Isaac de Larrey Gilliam van der Gouwen, first name also transcribed as Guilliam and Willem (ca. 1657, Antwerp — buried on 15 March 1716, Amsterdam) was a Flemish engraver who spent most of his active career in the Dutch Republic. He is known for his reproductive engravings and various title pages, maps and book illustrations for the Amsterdam publishers.
Also recorded as Willem van der Gouwen · Gillian van der Gouwen · Giliam van der Gouwen · Guilliam van der Gouwen
Gilliam van der Gouwen
![Astronomy: an allegorical titlepage to a polyglot Bible [?], or to a treatise on the stars. Engraving by G. van der Gouwen after G. Hoet. Iconographic Collections](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Astronomy%3B_an_allegorical_titlepage_to_a_polyglot_Bible_%28%3F%29%2C_Wellcome_V0024701.jpg/1280px-Astronomy%3B_an_allegorical_titlepage_to_a_polyglot_Bible_%28%3F%29%2C_Wellcome_V0024701.jpg)
https: Gallery: https: Wellcome Collection gallery (2018-03-23) · CC BY 4.0
- Born
- 1657 · Antwerp.
- Nationality
- Habsburg Netherlands · Dutch Republic
- Occupation
- engraver · draftsperson · artist · printmaker
- Fields
- figure · genre · portrait
- Teachers
- Gerard de Lairesse · Peter van Liesebetten
- Languages
- Dutch
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Allegory of the History of Britain with the Portrait of Isaac de Larrey Gilliam van der Gouwen, first name also transcribed as Guilliam and Willem (ca. 1657, Antwerp — buried on 15 March 1716, Amsterdam) was a Flemish engraver who spent most of his active career in the Dutch Republic. He is known for his reproductive engravings and various title pages, maps and book illustrations for the Amsterdam publishers.
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wikidata · Q555331 · wikipedia · Gilliam van der Gouwen
In this article
Life
Life
Training under Gerard de Lairesse and Peter van Liesebetten is recorded. Jan Wandelaar is recorded as having studied under Gilliam van der Gouwen. The recorded working language is Dutch. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are figure, genre and portrait. Places of work recorded in the authority are Antwerp, Amsterdam and Haarlem. Work by Gilliam van der Gouwen is recorded in the collections of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, National Museum of World Cultures, National Museum Paleis het Loo, Print Collection and Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.
He was born in Antwerp around 1657. In the guild year 1669–1670, he was registered at the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke studying engraving as a pupil of Pieter van Lisebetten. There is no record of van der Gouwen registering as a master in the Antwerp Guild. He left Antwerp and is recorded in Amsterdam where in June 1680 he started taking drawing classes with the German painter Pieter Rodingh. During the period of 14 months that the took the classes, Rodingh also helped him out with two of his engravings. Later a dispute arose between van der Gouwen and Rodingh over payment for the classes as well as for a portrait of van der Gouwen and his wife painted by Rodingh. The matter was settled amicably. • Illustration — Putto blowing bubbles, allegory of Vanitas He is also said to have studied with Gerard de Lairesse. He collaborated with de Lairesse on publications such as de Lairesse's Het groot schilderboeck ("Great Book of Painting"), published in 1710 for which he made the title page and various illustrations. He worked as an assistant in the workshop of the engraver and publisher Pieter van Gunst. He made for the sheet music publisher Estienne Roger various title pages for musical publications. An example is the title page of Arcangelo Corelli's Concerti Grossi published by Roger in Amsterdam in 1714. The print represents St. Cecilia Playing a Lute and was made after a design by the Italian painter Francesco Trevisani. • Illustration — Title page of Corelli's Concerti Grossi He further engraved many of Philip Tideman's designs for title pages and book illustrations. He was the teacher of Jan Wandelaar. He worked on a series of biblical prints after designs of Gerard Hoet, Arnold Houbraken and Bernard Picart. These were used in various publications including the Figures de la Bible published in 1720 and the Taferelen der voornaamste geschiedenissen van het Oude en Nieuwe Testament published in the Hague by Pieter de Hondt. The latter publication was a picture bible comprising 214 large engravings of which van der Gouwen had engraved 41. He married twice. He married Maria Willems in Amsterdam on 8 September 1679. Their daughter Lysbet was born in 1688. His first wife died and was buried in Amsterdam on 29 July 1700. He married Anna Gerrits in Amsterdam on 19 October 1703. He was buried in Amsterdam on 15 March 1716.
Work
Work
He is known for portraits, allegorical scenes and biblical illustrations. He contributed many illustrations to Hugo de Groot's Nederlandtsche jaerboeken en historien, published in Amsterdam in 1681. An example is the Beached whale near Berckhey. The print was made after an engraving made by Jacob Matham after a design by Hendrick Goltzius.
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
The authorities additionally record the headings Willem van der Gouwen, Gillian van der Gouwen, Giliam van der Gouwen, Guilliam van der Gouwen and G. v.d. His recorded language was Dutch. His recorded confession was Catholic Church.

De god Apollo ontmaskert de sater Marsyan. Rondom hen allerlei dieren: een pauw, een hond, een geit een varken en een kat. In de lucht een putto met een weegschaal en een bliksemstraal. De prent heeft als onderschrift een Franse tekst in een cartouche.;
Gilliam van der Gouwen / Bernard Picart

De god Apollo ontmaskert de sater Marsyas. Rondom hen allerlei dieren: een pauw, een hond, een geit een varken en een kat. In de lucht een putto met een weegschaal en een bliksemstraal. De prent heeft als onderschrift een Franse tekst in een cartouche.;
Gilliam van der Gouwen / anoniem
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1657
Gilliam van der Gouwen born at Antwerp.
1716
Gilliam van der Gouwen died at Amsterdam.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Antwerp.
Birth place
Amsterdam.
Death place
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
He trained under Gerard de Lairesse and Peter van Liesebetten. Each of those relationships is stated by the authority record rather than inferred from style.
Gilliam van der Gouwen is recorded as engraver, draftsperson, artist and printmaker.
Recognition and collections
Work by Gilliam van der Gouwen is
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, National Museum of World Cultures, National Museum Paleis het Loo and Print Collection
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Prints
4,138 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Gihachiro OkuyamaEngraver
- Gijsbertus CraeyvangerEngraver
- Gilles BoisvertEngraver
- Gilles-Louis ChrétienEngraver
- Gillian AyresEngraver
- Gillis NeytsEngraver
- Gillis PeetersEngraver
- Gilroy RobertsEngraver
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