Philip Fruytiers (1627–1666), Flemish painter and engraver, was a pupil of the Jesuits' college at Antwerp in 1627, and entered the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke without a fee in 1631.
He is described in the register of the guild as illuminator, painter and engraver. The current account of his life is from Cornelis de Bie's book on painters called Het Gulden Cabinet, that was later quoted by Arnold Houbraken. He worked exclusively in watercolours, yet was so remarkable in this branch of his art for arrangement, drawing, and especially for force and clearness of colour, as to excite the admiration of Rubens, whom he portrayed with all his family.[1]
The truth is that he was an artist of the most versatile talents, as may be judged from the fact that in 1646 he executed an "Assumption" with figures of life size, and four smaller pictures in oil, for the church of St Jacques at Antwerp, for which he received the considerable sum of 1150 florins. Unhappily no undoubted production of his hand has been preserved. All that we can point to with certainty is a series of etched plates, chiefly portraits, which are acknowledged to have been powerfully and skillfully handled.
If, however, we search the portfolios of art collections on the European continent, we sometimes stumble upon miniatures on vellum, drawn with great talent and coloured with extraordinary brilliancy. In form they quite recall the works of Rubens, and these, it may be, are the work of Philip Fruytiers.
According to the RKD he became a master of the Guild of St. Luke in 1631, and was also active in the club "Sodaliteit van de Bejaerde Jongmans", a Jesuit society. He is known for portraits and miniatures.[2]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.