February 16, 2013 <Back to Index> Botanist Hugo Marie de Vries, 1848 Painter Arnold Boonen, 1669 Emperor of the Song Dynasty Yingzong, 1032 This page is sponsored by: PAGE SPONSOR

Arnold Boonen (sometimes Arnold van Boonen), an eminent portrait painter, was born at Dordrecht in 1669. He was first a student of Arnold Verbius, but afterwards was instructed by Godefried Schalken. He painted genre pictures in the style of the latter, representing subjects by candlelight, but met with such encouragement in portrait painting that he devoted himself almost wholly to that branch of art. His style was well adapted to succeed in it. An excellent colorist, a faithful designer of his model, and gifted with an uncommon facility in his operation, he was soon distinguished as one of the ablest artists of his day. He painted a great number of portraits of the most distinguished personages of his time, among whom were Peter the Great, the Elector of Mentz, the Landgrave of Hesse - Darmstadt, the Prince and Princess of Orange, the great Duke of Marlborough, and several others. He painted some large pictures for the halls of the different companies at Amsterdam and Dordrecht. He died in 1729. The Dresden Gallery has seven works by him, and a 'Woman Singing' in the Lille Gallery is also attributed to him. His son, Kasper van Boonen, also painted portraits, but in no way proved himself equal to his father.