| Augustinus Terwesten | |
|---|---|
'Selfportrait ca. 1700. |
|
| Born | May 4, 1649 the Hague |
| Died | January 21, 1711 |
| Nationality | Nederland |
| Field | Painting, engraver |
| Movement | Baroque |
Augustinus Terwesten (The Hague, 1649 – 1711, Berlin) was a Dutch painter of portraits, architectural, and historical themes.
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Augustinus Terwesten studied with a painter named Wielin in the Hague who later went to serve Frederick Willem von Brandenburg. He then took lessons from Willem Doudyns for two years before setting off on a Grand Tour through Germany to Italy in 1672, where he spent three years.
In Rome he became a member of the painters' circle known as the Bentvueghels, where he earned the nickname "Patrysvogel", or partridge, after the story of Perdix by Ovid. He went back to the Hague via France and England, and was gone for a total of 6 years. From 1682–1683 he helped to set up the Drawing Academy in the Hague set up by the "Confrerie Pictura".
In 1692 he became court painter to Frederick I of Prussia in Berlin, and talked him into sponsoring an Akademie der Künste. After overseeing the building of this academy which was completed in 1697, he became professor there and lived there until his death in 1711. He taught both of his brothers Elias and Mattheus Terwesten, but also the painters Frans Beeldemaker, Nikolaus Bruno Belau, Andries Bertoen, Jacobus Bisschop, Nicolaes Hooft, and Cornelis Michiarus.
He is remembered today for his historical allegories and portraits.