Albert Flamen

Albert Flamen[1] (c.1620–after 1669) was a Flemish engraver, painter and tapestry designer who was active in Paris where he worked mainly as an illustrator on numerous publications.[2]

Life

'Love unites them', from Devises et emblesmes d’amour moralisez (1672)

Very few details about the life and training of Flamen are known with certainty. He was an artist of Flemish descent active in France where his prints were published in Paris.[3] The most comprehensive recent study of Flamen contends on the basis of biographical data drawn from the Fichier Laborde housed in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris that in all likelihood he was born some time before 1620.[4] The Netherlands Institute for Art History places his birth date and place at around 1620 in Bruges.[2]

Work

Flamen was a prolific engraver who produced works for a number of prominent patrons including Guillaume Tronson, Advisor to the King, Gilles Foucquet, son of Nicolas Fouquet and Advisor to the King, the Marquis d’Illiers de Chantemelle and Monsieur de Sève, abbot of the Isle and chaplain of King. These patrons tended to be closely allied to the Royalist cause during the struggles known collectively as "La Fronde".[5]

He added drypoint and burin to his etchings which he executed with a fine, neat and light line, and which offer an overall effect that is very near the manner of Wenceslaus Hollar.”[6]

The best-known prints by Flamen are his French landscape etchings and his studies of both salt-water and fresh-water fish and of birds. He also engraved the illustrations for a number of emblem books, including the anonymous Devises et emblemes d'amour often attributed to him but of which he denied being the author (first published in Paris, 1648), Augustin Chesneau's Orpheus Eucharisticus (Paris, 1657) and Adrien Gambart's La Vie symbolique du bienheureux François de Sales (Paris, 1664).[7] Most of his works were created in series published in small oblong books, typically consisting of 12 prints. The influence of Jacques Callot is cleary discernible. Flamen created also several prints for Jacobus van Merlen, an Antwerp engraver.[8] Flamen is estimated to have created about 625 items, of which perhaps 40% are emblems.[7]

The Rijksmuseum and the British Museum hold extensive collections of his prints.[9][10] The Louvre Museum (referring to the artist as: Aellert Flamen) has a number of his drawings which consist mainly of studies of animals and a marine drawing.[11]

Flamen also painted a few portraits and produced some designs for the Gobelins Manufactory.[12]

Works

Araneus Marinus, Arragnée de Mer from 'Diverses espèces de poissons de mer'
Study of 15 Heads of different Birds
Works for which Flamen produced the engravings
View of St Hilaire from the road from Longetoise to St Mars

References

  1. ↑ Also known as: 'Albert Flaman', 'Albert Flamand' and 'Aellert Flamen'.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Albert Flamen at the Netherlands Institute for Art History. (Dutch)
  3. ↑ See Elenor Ling, "Vansittart's Print Collection and Two Unrecorded Prints by Albert Flamen," Print Quarterly, XXIX, no. 2, 2012, p. 172.
  4. ↑ See David Graham, "A Context for Albert Flamen’s Devises et Emblesmes d’Amour moralisez", Emblematica 13 (2003): 173-211.
  5. ↑ Catherine Levesque, ed. Netherlandish Artists: 6 (Commentary). Edited by Walter L. Srauss. 142 vols. Vol. 6, The Illustrated Bartsch. New York, 1986.
  6. ↑ A.-P.-F. Robert-Dumesnil. Le Peintre-Graveur français, ou catalogue raisonné des estampes gravées par les peintres et les dessinateurs de l’école française. Vol. 5. Paris, 1841. Quoted by Graham, p. 181, n. 20.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 See Graham, p. 181, n. 21, and p. 182 for the various categories into which Flamen's work may be classified.
  8. ↑ Christian Coppens. "Flamen, Albert." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 27 January 2015
  9. ↑ Albert Flamen at the Rijksmuseum. (Dutch)
  10. ↑ Albert Flamen at the British Museum.
  11. ↑ Albert Flamen at the Louvre.
  12. ↑ Bernard Gineste, Albert Flamen et Antoine de Sève, L’artiste et son commanditaire at corpusetampois. (French)

Further reading

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