Jan Cossiers

Jan Cossiers was born in Antwerp on July 15, 1600 and also died there on July 4, 1671. He was a renowned Flemish painter and draughtsman who began his artistic training under the guidance of his father before joining the workshop of Cornelis de Vos, a respected portrait and history painter of his time.

During a trip to France in 1623, Cossiers was strongly influenced by the Dutch painter Abraham de Vries. The very next year, in 1624, he went to Italy, where he studied the works of Michelangelo Merisi il Caravaggio. Caravaggio’s art had a lasting influence on Cossiers’ work.

Cossiers’ work includes a large number of ecclesiastical commissions as well as portraits of important personalities of his era. His paintings are characterized by their vivid depiction and mastery in the treatment of light and shadow, a legacy of the influences of both his teacher Cornelis de Vos and the works of Caravaggio.