Nikolaus Knüpfer
| Nikolaus Knüpfer | |
|---|---|
 Nicolaes Knupfer's self-portrait, engraved by Pieter de Jode II for Het Gulden Cabinet p 115 | |
| Born |
Nicolaes 1609 Leipzig |
| Died |
1655 (aged 45–46) Utrecht |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Baroque |
Nikolaus Knüpfer (1609 – 1655) was a Dutch Golden Age painter.
Biography
Knüpfer was trained in Leipzig, where according to Houbraken he was apprenticed to Emanuel Nysen.[1] He then moved to Magdeburg where he found work making brushes for artists. He stayed there until 1630, and then moved to Utrecht to work with Abraham Bloemaert. He lived with him for two years and then established his own studio in Utrecht, where in 1637 he became a visiting member of the Guild of St. Luke. He worked on the decorations of the castle Kronborg in Denemarken, and painted figures in the landscapes of Jan Both and Jan Baptist Weenix. Knüpfer was a successful teacher, whose students were great painters after him, such as Jan Steen, Gabriel Metsu, Ary de Vois, and Pieter Crijnse Volmarijn.[2]
Work
Knüpfer painted small scale paintings with biblical, literary, and mythological themes, in addition to the popular genre works of his day. His figures are often in unusual poses, and painted with flowing lines with white accents.
Couple portrayed with children both alive and dead.
Hercules Obtaining the Girdle of Hyppolita
Sophonisba, by 1635
Master-pupil interpretations of the Book of Tobit
Knupfer's scene from the Book of Tobit where Tobias and Sarah pray while the Angel Gabriel drives away the demon.
Same scene several years later by his pupil Jan Steen, Museum Bredius.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nicolaes Knüpfer. |
References
- ↑ (in Dutch) Nicolaes Knufter biography in De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen (1718) by Arnold Houbraken, courtesy of the Digital library for Dutch literature
- ↑ Nicolaes Knüpfer in the RKD
- Cornelis De Bie, Het gulden cabinet van de edel vry schilderconst, Antwerpen 1662, p. 115-116 (engraved portrait p. 115, Knupfer pinx., Pieter de Jode II sculpt.)
- Filippo Baldinucci's Artists in biographies by Filippo Baldinucci, 1610–1670, p. 197 Google books