Johan van Haensbergen

1642 – 1705

Dutch painter and art dealer. He spent his childhood in Gorinchem, later on he moved to Utrecht, where he was apprentice of Cornelis van Poelenburgh. It is not known how long he remained in the workshop of his tutor, but he evidently worked closely in his master's style. It is known with certainty that he was signed in as a member of the Utrecht's painters' Guild of St Luke between 1668 and 1669. In 1669 he moved to The Hague, where he became a member of the Confrerie Pictura. After his move to The Hague, he mainly painted portraits. Though he was quite successful in imitating his master's style of landscape painting, he switched to portraits since he could make a comfortable living making flattering ladies portraits that made their skin look whiter. He married Johanna van Heusden in The Hague and worked on portraits for the elite there. His refined style and skillfulness earned him commissions from important aristocratic patrons and numerous members of the civic upper-class. Apart from being a painter, Van Haensbergen was also active as an art dealer. As such, he was able to make a comfortable living for himself. In 1682-83 and 1689-90 he acted as 'Hoofdman' (or head) of the Confrerie Pictura. In addition, he was the director of the drawing academy. His son Willem Johan van Haensbergen (1680-1755), born after his second marriage to Sophia van der Snouck in 1679, was his pupil.

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