Jan Baptist Weenix

He was mainly responsible for introducing the Italian harbor scene into Dutch art, in mid-size paintings with a group of figures in the foreground.

Jan Weenix is recorded as having studied under Jan Baptist Weenix. The recorded working language is Dutch. The field of work recorded is painting. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are landscape. Places of work recorded in the authority are Amsterdam, Rome and Utrecht. Works named in the authority record are Italian landscape with shelter and antiques ruins, Dead partridge hanging from a nail and A Dog and a Cat near a partially disembowelled Deer. Work by Jan Baptist Weenix is recorded in the collections of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Städel Museum, National Gallery of Victoria, Nationalmuseum and National Gallery of Canada.

• Name — Jan Baptist Weenix • Born — 1621 • Birthplace — Amsterdam, Dutch Republic • Died — 1659 • Place of death — Vleuten, Dutch Republic • Field — Painting • Movement — Dutch Golden Age • Children — Jan Weenix

• Illustration — Castle Ter Mey, Vleuten, 1738 drawing by Hendrik Spilman Weenix was born near Amsterdam's harbor, the son of an architect. He could not speak well, apparently from a medical condition, and because he very much liked to read books, his mother sent him to work for a bookseller, who was not able to deal with him. He drew whenever he could, according to Jan Weenix his son, who told the story to Arnold Houbraken. Weenix first studied under Jan Micker, who was the brother-in-law of his oldest sister Lysbeth. He then studied in Utrecht under Abraham Bloemaert, and later back in Amsterdam under Claes Corneliszoon Moeyaert. In 1639, he married Josijntje d'Hondecoeter, the daughter of Gillis d'Hondecoeter. In 1643, Weenix travelled to Rome with Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, who had also studied with Moeyaert. He had left his home in secret, but his wife traced him to Rotterdam. He was allowed to stay away for four months. In Rome, he became a member of the Bentvueghels with the name Ratel (meaning rattle, because a voice defect), and was much esteemed and worked for Pope Innocent X. He returned to Amsterdam after four years; his wife had refused to come to Rome. In 1649, he became master of the guild of St. Luke in Utrecht, and also painted a portrait of René Descartes. When his brother-in-law Gijsbert d'Hondecoeter died, he trained his nephew Melchior d'Hondecoeter, together with his own son Jan Weenix. Weenix rented the castle Ter Mey at Haarzuilens outside Utrecht, to concentrate on his work or for health reasons (plague). On 25 April 1659 the inventory of his estate was auctioned off. His widow, who had been living on Wittevrouwenstraat, in Utrecht, was buried on 6 October 1662. He painted a few religious scenes, one of the rare pieces of this kind being the "Jacob and Esau" (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden). In the National Gallery, London, is a "Hunting Scene" by Weenix, and Glasgow has a characteristic painting of ruins. Weenix is represented at most of the important continental galleries, notably at Munich, Vienna, Berlin, Amsterdam, and St Petersburg.

• Illustration — Before the walls of Rome from the National Museum in Wrocław Among the public collections holding works by Jan Baptist Weenix are: • Museum de Fundatie in Zwolle, Netherlands • Teylers Museum, in Haarlem, Netherlands • Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, Netherlands • Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States • Wallace Collection, London, England