Jacques de Gheyn II

Jacques de Gheyn II (1665-1625)

Born in 1565 in Antwerp, Jacques de Gheyn II was a draughtsman, engraver and painter. He was originally taught by his father; in 1585 he became a pupil of Hendrick Goltzius in Haarlem. De Gheyn's work marks the transition from late sixteenth-century Mannerism to the more naturalistic style of the early seventeenth century. From 1596 to 1602 he lived in Leiden, where he worked with the humanist Hugo de Groot (Grotius). De Groot supplied texts for De Gheyn's engravings. From 1605 until his death in 1625 he lived in The Hague. His work was admired by the stadholder, Prince Maurice, who commissioned numerous works from the artist. De Gheyn also worked for Maurice's successor Prince Frederick Henry. His son, Jacques de Gheyn III, was De Gheyn II's principal follower.