Flemish painter

Circa 1613/14 Antwerp – 1677 Antwerp

 

Also known as Guilliam van Herp I.

 

Painter of genre scenes and of religious scenes treated like genre scenes. It is said that his rare genre scenes, painted on panel, were meant for the local market, while his biblical scenes, painted on copper, were exported to Spain and from there to the colonies. He was also active as a staffage painter, incorporating figures in other artists paintings. Finally I should mention that van Herp made several tapestry designs.

 

Pupil of two further unknown Antwerp painters: Damiaan Wortelmans in 1625/26 and Hans Biermans I 1628/29. Van Herp joined the local Antwerp Painter’s Guild of Saint Luke only a few years later in the year 1637/1638; he must therefore have travelled and worked abroad in his early career.

 

In 1654 he married a daughter of the religious and mythological scenes painter Artus Wolffort (Antwerp 1581 – 1641 Antwerp).

 

 

Because it is painted in the most delicate tonalities.