Hendrick Fromantiou

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Stilllife with flowers

Hendrik de Fromantiou (1633/4, Maastricht - after 1693, Potsdam) was a Dutch still life painter.

In his youth, he produced works for the art dealer Gerrit van Uylenburgh in Amsterdam and from 1658 he was active in The Hague. In 1670 he was appointed as conservator of the royal collection in Potsdam. In 1671, when Van Uylenburgh tried to sell thirteen paintings to Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, Fromantiou successfully advised the Elector to send twelve pieces back as forgeries. Fromantiou claimed the paintings were copies of Italian ones, and he could point out the originals in Holland. Fifty one people were involved in the expertise, including Johannes Vermeer.

In 1672 he married the daughter of the rich and successful fellow Dutch painter Philip Wouwerman.