Otto van Veen, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, c. 1597.

Otto van Veen, also known by his Latinized name Otto Venius or Octavius Vaenius, (c. 1556 – May 6, 1629) was a painter, draughtsman, and humanist active primarily in Antwerp and Brussels in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He is known for running a large studio in Antwerp, producing several emblem books, and for being, from 1594 or 1595 until 1598, Peter Paul Rubens's teacher. His role as a classically educated humanist artist (a pictor doctus) was influential on the young Rubens, who would take on that role himself.^[1] Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (127th in leap years). ... Events March 4 - Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a Royal charter. ... Painting by Rembrandt self-portrait Detail from Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, in which the painter portrayed himself at work For the computer graphics program, see Corel Painter. ... Drawing involves the choice of one or more tools from a wide variety and the choice of a support appropriate to that tool in order to make marks. ... Humanism[1] is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appeal to universal human qualities—particularly rationalism. ... For other uses, see Antwerp (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Government  - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area  - Region 162 km²  (62. ... Emblem books are a particular style of illustrated book developed in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, normally containing about one hundred picture/text combinations. ... Rubens and Isabella Brant in the Honeysuckle Bower, 1609-10. ... Classical education as understood and taught in the Middle Ages of Western culture is roughly based on the ancient Greek concept of Paideia. ...

Life

Van Veen was born in Leiden around 1556, where his father had been burgomaster.^[2] In 1572, the Catholic family moved to Antwerp, and then to Liège. He studied for a time under Dominicus Lampsonius and Jean Ramey, before traveling to Rome around 1574 or 1575. He stayed there for about five years, perhaps studying with Federico Zuccaro. Carel van Mander relates that van Veen then worked at the courts of Rudolf II in Prague and William V of Bavaria in Munich, before returning to the Low Countries. In Brussels, he was court painter to the governor of the Southern Netherlands, Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma until 1592, and then active in Antwerp. Leyden redirects here. ... Burgomaster (alternatively spelled Burgomeister, literally translated meaning master of the citizens) is the English form, rendering (often the Anglo-Saxon equivalent Mayor is substituted) various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate and/or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration... Liege or Liège has several meanings: A liege is the person or entity to which one has pledged allegiance. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... The Continence of Scipio by Carel van Mander (1600) Oil on copper, 44 x 79 cm. ... Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II Rudolf II Habsburg was an emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, king of Bohemia, and king of Hungary. ... Nickname: Motto: Praga Caput Rei publicae Location within the Czech Republic Coordinates: Country Czech Republic Region Capital City of Prague Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Pavel Bém Area  - City 496 km²  (191. ... William V, Duke of Bavaria (29 September 1548 - 7 February 1626), called the Pious, (German: ) was a Duke of Bavaria from 1579 to 1597. ... Munich (German: , pronounced  ; Austro-Bavarian: Minga [1]) is the capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria. ... The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries (see Country) on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse (Maas) rivers. ... The Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1579-1713), Austria (Austrian Netherlands, 1713-1794) and France (1794-1815). ... Alexander Farnese Portrait by Otto Vaenius (ca 1585). ...

After becoming a master in the Guild of St. Luke in 1593, van Veen took numerous commissions for church decorations, including altarpieces for the Antwerp cathedral and a chapel in the city hall. He also organized his studio and workshop, which included Rubens. Van Veen's connection to Brussels remained, however, and when Archduke Ernest of Austria became governor in 1594, he may have aided the archduke in acquiring important Netherlandish paintings by the likes of Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder.^[3] The artist later served as dean in two prominent organizations in the city, the Guild of St. Luke in 1602, and the Romanists in 1606. Jan Gossaert, , c. ... Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, the Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp, was started in 1351 and completed in 1521. ... Antwerp City Hall The City Hall (Dutch: Stadhuis) of Antwerp, Belgium, stands on the western side of Antwerps Grote Markt (Great Market Square). ... Archduke Ernest of Austria (born July 15, 1553 in Vienna, died February 12, 1595 in Brussels) was a son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor. ... Hieronymus Bosch, (latinized; also Jeroen Bosch or his real name Jeroen van Aken) (c. ... Bruegels The Painter and The Connoisseur drawn c. ...

In the seventeenth century, van Veen often worked for the Archdukes Albert and Isabella, but never as their court painter.^[4] Later paintings include a series of twelve paintings depicting the battles of the Romans and the Batavians, based on engravings he had already published of the subject, for the Dutch States General.^[5] Increasingly, van Veen was active in producing Emblem books, including Quinti Horatii Flacci emblemata (1607), Amorum emblemata (1608), and Amoris divini emblemata (1615). His association with humanist culture is reflected in the Latin name by which he is often known, Octavius Vaenius. Albert and his wife Isabella Archduke Albert Ernst of Austria, Duke of Luxembourg etc (15 November 1559 – 13 July 1621) was appointed for the Spanish monarchy as Governor of the Low Countries in 1595, and from 1598 became joint sovereign of the Seventeen Provinces with his wife, Infanta Isabella Clara... Isabella Clara Eugenia, possibly around 1584 Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain (Segovia 12 August 1566 – 1 December 1633) was Infanta of Spain, Archduchess of Austria and the joint sovereign of the Seventeen Provinces. ... The Batavii (or Batavi, Batavians) were a Germanic, or possibly Celtic tribe reported by Julius Caesar and Tacitus to have lived around the Rhine delta, in the area which is currently the Netherlands. ... The States-General (Staten-Generaal) is the parliament of the Netherlands. ...

Notes

1. ^ Belkin (1998): 26–28.
2. ^ Van de Velde.
3. ^ Bertini (1998): 119.
4. ^ Van de Velde.
5. ^ Rijksmuseum

References

• Belkin, Kristin Lohse: Rubens. Phaidon Press, 1998. ISBN 0-7148-3412-2.
• Bertini, Giuseppe: "Otto van Veen, Cosimo Masi and the Art Market in Antwerp at the End of the Sixteenth Century." Burlington Magazine vol. 140, no. 1139. (Feb., 1998), pp. 119-120.
• Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Otto van Veen's Batavians defeating the Roman (sic)
• Van de Velde, Carl: "Veen [Vaenius; Venius], Otto van" Grove Art Online. Oxford University Press, [accessed 18 May, 2007].