Gilliam van der Gouwen facts for kids
Gilliam van der Gouwen (also known as Guilliam or Willem) was a talented artist from Flanders. He was born around 1657 in Antwerp and later moved to Amsterdam, where he spent most of his career. He was famous for creating detailed engravings, which are like special prints made from metal plates. He made many title pages, maps, and pictures for books published in Amsterdam.
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A Young Artist's Journey
Gilliam van der Gouwen started his art journey in Antwerp around 1657. When he was about 12 or 13, he began studying engraving with a teacher named Pieter van Lisebetten at the Guild of Saint Luke. This was a special school for artists.
Later, Gilliam moved to Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic. In 1680, he took drawing classes with a German painter named Pieter Rodingh. They even worked together on some of Gilliam's engravings.
Working with Famous Artists
Gilliam also studied with a well-known painter named Gerard de Lairesse. They worked together on important books, like de Lairesse's Het groot schilderboeck ("Great Book of Painting"), published in 1710. Gilliam created the title page and many pictures for this book.
He also worked as an assistant for the engraver and publisher Pieter van Gunst. Gilliam made many title pages for musical books published by Estienne Roger. One example is the title page for Arcangelo Corelli's Concerti Grossi, which shows St. Cecilia Playing a Lute. This picture was based on a design by the Italian painter Francesco Trevisani.
Gilliam van der Gouwen also engraved many designs by Philip Tideman for book covers and illustrations. He taught another artist named Jan Wandelaar. He helped create a series of Bible pictures based on designs by Gerard Hoet, Arnold Houbraken, and Bernard Picart. These pictures were used in books like Figures de la Bible (1720) and Taferelen der voornaamste geschiedenissen van het Oude en Nieuwe Testament. The second book was a picture Bible with 214 large engravings, and Gilliam engraved 41 of them!
Gilliam van der Gouwen married twice. He passed away in Amsterdam and was buried on March 15, 1716.
What Kind of Art Did He Make?
Gilliam van der Gouwen was known for several types of art:
- Portraits: Pictures of people.
- Allegorical scenes: Pictures that use symbols to represent ideas or stories.
- Biblical illustrations: Pictures that tell stories from the Bible.
He also contributed many pictures to Hugo de Groot's book, Nederlandtsche jaerboeken en historien, published in 1681. One famous print from this book is Beached whale near Berckhey. This picture was based on an engraving by Jacob Matham, which was designed by Hendrick Goltzius.
Images for kids
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Putto blowing bubbles, allegory of Vanitas
