Janssens, Hieronymus
1624-1693
Hieronymus Janssens was a Flemish painter. In 1636/7 he was a pupil of Christoffel van der Lamen (1606–52), and he was a master by 1643/4. He married Catharina Dooren in 1650 and took on four pupils in the years 1651/2. Like van der Lamen, he specialized in dance scenes, set either inside a palace or outside on a terrace, and was thus nicknamed ‘the dancer’.
Janssens’s paintings are often both signed and dated, with dates ranging from 1646 to 1661. Architecture played an important role in his paintings and was based on existing buildings, such as Rubens’s Italianate house in Antwerp. Janssens also used the prints of Hans Vredeman de Vries, as a source for perspectival effects. Playing with elements such as columns, pilasters and windows, he created imaginary, monumental constructions. The architectural features in Janssens’s work add to the dramatic effect, which is further intensified by his use of chiaroscuro, giving the paintings a theatrical character.
Collections
Janssens is represented in the following collections: Musee des Beaux-Arts, Valenciennes; Royal Collection, London; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lille; Pushkin Museum, Moscow, amongst others.
