Frans Rijckhals, or François Ryckhals (3 May 1609, Middelburg - 29 July 1647, Middelburg) was a Dutch painter and designer. His works combine genre scenes with still-lifes.

Boy Sleeping in a Barn
Rustic Interior with Coppers

Biography

edit

He was probably a pupil of Pieter de Bloot. After working in his hometown, he went to Dordrecht from 1633 to 1634. He returned to Middelburg in 1638 and lived there until his death.[1] In 1640, he and David Teniers the Younger worked together on a painting in Antwerp.[2]

In 1642, he married the Burgomasters daughter and moved into their home, which is now a museum dedicated to him.[2]

He was primarily known for his paintings of rural life, but also produced Italian-style landscapes and religious works. At the beginning of his career, he also painted animals.[2] A large number of his works in Berlin, Saint Petersburg and Budapest were destroyed during World War II.[1] Only twenty of his works are known to exist. These may seen at (among others) the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dunkerque [fr], the National Museum, Warsaw and the Musée Fabre in Montpellier.

He was a follower of Willem Buytewech and Aelbert Cuyp and was influenced by Adriaen van de Venne. In turn, he influenced Philips Angel I.[1] Some of his still-lifes were attributed to Frans Hals the Younger, due to a mistaken interpretation of his convoluted monogram. In fact, no works by Hals have been identified with any certainty.

Among his pupils were Laurens Bernards (c.1630-1676)[1] and, possibly, Willem Kalf.[2]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d [1] Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie
  2. ^ a b c d Stilleben und Tierstücke by Hans-Joachim Raupp, Lit Verlag (2014) ISBN 3-8258-2239-7 @ Google Books
edit

  Media related to Frans Rijckhals at Wikimedia Commons