Franciscus Gijsbrechts

1650 – 1677

Flemish painter (also spelt Gysbrechts). There is only scarce and contradictory biographic information on this painter. He was the son (or the nephew) of Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts, one of the most important trompe l'oeil artists in the 17th century. He was probably the assistant to Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts in Copenhagen in 1672. He was active in Leiden in 1674 and joined the Antwerp Guild of St Luke in 1676. Although there are a fair number of Franciscus's paintings known, only two are dated, both 1672: one disappeared during the Second World War from the National Museum of Gdansk, the second is in the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. It is rather difficult to distinguish his work from that of Cornelius Norbertus Gijsbrechts. There are similarities between the two artists, both in their choice of motif and in the range of objects portrayed. But while Cornelis Norbertus quite quickly specialised into trompe l'oeil still-lifes, Franciscus painted mostly Vanitas still-lifes.

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