Lucas van Leyden

About Lucas van Leyden:
Lucas van Leyden, also named either Lucas Hugensz or Lucas Jacobsz, was the son of painter Hugo Jacobsz. He was a Dutch engraver and painter, born and mainly active in Leiden. He is generally regarded as one of the best engravers in the history of this art but also considered one of the first and finest Dutch genre painters of that period. He also made woodcarvings and experimented with etching techniques.

It is not exactly known where he learnt engraving, but he was highly skilled at an early age; the earliest known print “Mohammed and the Murdered Monk” dates from 1508. After an initial training in his father's studio, he was apprenticed to the local painter Cornelis Engelbrechtsz, he was able to develop his skills further and became a successful artist and prosperous citizen of the city of Leiden.

In 1514 he entered the Leiden Painters’ Guild, in 1515 he married Lysbeth van Boschuysen, the mayor's daughter. He traveled in Holland and Belgium, with known visits to Antwerp in 1521, where he met German artist Albrecht Dürer. They appeared to have had a lasting influence on each other; Dürer mentioned “Master Lucas” in the notebooks he kept of his travels, and even mentioned he had drawn a metal point portrait of him.

In 1527 he finished one of his most famous and best paintings, the triptych “The Last Judgement” (het Laatste Oordeel), on display in Museum de Lakenhal in his home city, Leiden.

Lucas van Leyden’s health declined in the late 1520’s probably due to tuberculosis, his last known engravings date from 1530, and he died in Leiden in 1533.

His works can be found in major art collections around the world such as the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, the Auckland Art Gallery in New Zealand and the National Gallery of Art in Washington. (Text from Several Sources)

Footnote:
My godfather, Koos Mentink (a gifted multi media artist himself), for many years had a well known jewelry and fine art store in Leiden, named "Lucas van Leyden". In honor to the original artist and to continue the tradition of my now retired uncle I decided to name this gallery the same. Thank you for your interest, we hope you will have the opportunity to see the works of Lucas van Leyden in museums around the world, you will notice that his works are still beautiful and vibrant, even after hundreds of years.

Hans Mentink