Jan de Baen

His portraits were popular in his day, and he painted the most distinguished people of his time.

Jan de Baen studied at Haagsche Teekenacademie. The recorded working language is Dutch. The field of work recorded is painting. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are portrait, cityscape, history and genre. The authority associates the name with Dutch Golden Age painting. Places of work recorded in the authority are Emden, Kleve and Amsterdam. Works named in the authority record are Portrait of Johan Maurits (1604-1679), Count of Nassau-Siegen, Founder of the Mauritshuis, Allegory of Cornelis de Witt (1623-1672) as Instigator of the Victory at Chatham in 1667 and Portrait of Johan de Witt (1625-72), Grand Pensionary of Holland. Work by Jan de Baen is recorded in the collections of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Nationalmuseum, ASR historic collection, Amsterdam Museum and Fries Museum.

• Name — Jan de Baen • Born — 20 February 1633 • Birthplace — Haarlem, Dutch Republic • Died — 1702 • Place of death — The Hague, Dutch Republic • Known for — Painting • Training — Jacob Adriaensz Backer • Movement — Dutch Golden Age painting • Patrons — Charles II of England

• Illustration — Members of the magistrate of The Hague, 1682 Jan de Baen was born on 20 February 1633 in Haarlem, Holland, Dutch Republic. After his parents died, when he was a child, he lived with his uncle Hinderk Pyman (or Piemans) in Emden. Jan de Baen received his first painting lessons from his uncle, who was a painter himself. From 1645 to 1648 he lived in Amsterdam, where he was the pupil of painter Jacob Adriaensz Backer. After completing his training, he worked for the exiled court of Charles II of England, but upon the English Restoration of 1660 did not follow his patron, but moved to The Hague, where he worked as a portrait painter for the rest of his life. The Elector of Brandenburg asked him to work at his court in Berlin, but he refused this invitation. He was the teacher of his son, the painter Jacobus de Baen, and the pupils Johann Friedrich Bodecker, Denys Godijn, Hendrik van Limborch, Nicolaes van Ravesteyn, Petro van Rijs, Jan van Sweel, and Johannes Vollevens. He died in 1702 around his 69th birthday, and was buried in The Hague on 8 March 1702. In his biographical sketch of Jan de Baen, Houbraken claims that he taught his son Jacobus to paint, who died at 27.

• Illustration — Portrait of Gisbert Cuper and Aleida van Suchtelen His portraits were popular in his own day, and he painted the most distinguished people of his time. He painted Cornelis de Witt and his brother Johan de Witt both alive and dead. He portrayed the Grandduke of Tuscany, and King-stadtholder William III of England. Besides portraits, he also painted cityscapes, history paintings, and genre paintings. The German Meyers Konversations-Lexikon (1885–1892) states that his large reputation during his life was not justified by his "characterless, rigid, and unattractively coloured images". • Illustration — Portrait of Johan de Witt (1625-72), Grand Pensionary of Holland (c.1643–1700), copy after Jan de Baen • Illustration — Portrait of Johan Maurits (1604-1679), Count of Nassau-Siegen, Founder of the Mauritshuis (c.1668–1670) • Illustration — Cornelis de Witt • Illustration — François van Bredehoff • Illustration — Anna van den Corput (1599-1645)

His recorded genres are portrait, cityscape, history and genre.

Jan de Baen is recorded as painter, architectural drafter, printmaker, copper engraver and draftsperson.