Jan van Kessel the Elder or also Jan van Kessel I came from a great dynasty of painters. On his father's side he descended from Hiernonymus van Kessel and his mother was a daughter of Jan Brueghel the Elder. This also made him the great-grandson of Pieter Brueghel, the nephew of Jan Brueghel the Younger and the nephew of David Teniers the Younger. The family sent him to Simon de Vos as an apprentice when he was 9 years old. His further education then took place largely within the family.
Van Kessel was a very versatile artist who tried his hand in many different genres. He painted still lifes, animal pictures, allegorical scenes but also various landscape motifs. He was inspired by his grandfather Jan Brueghel the Elder and other Flemish painters like Daniel Seghers, Joris Hoefnagel and Frans Snyders. He was also very active in the genre of garland painting, which was founded by his grandfather Jan Brueghel, among others. Together with his uncle David Teniers, for example, he worked on the painting "The Soap Bubbles", in which he painted the decorative flower garlands around the portrait. As a flower painter he was officially admitted to the Luke Guild of Antwerp in 1644. Two years later he married Maria van Apshoven, with whom he had 13 children. Of his children, two sons, Jan van Kessel the Younger and Ferdinand van Kessel, were also successful painters and were trained by him personally. During van Kessel's lifetime there were thus a total of three painters with the same name. This later caused some confusion when it came to classifying the works. Besides his son Jan, there was another Flemish painter with the same name. However, there was no relation to this one. Another difficulty was that van Kessel used different signatures. He often painted very small pictures on which he could not have placed his otherwise so embellished signature. For a long time it was assumed that because of the different signatures it must have been different artists. Today, his works from 1648 to 1676 can be safely classified.
Van Kessel was a painter obsessed with detail. Especially his still lifes and animal motifs, including various insect studies such as "Still Life Study of Insects on a Rosemary Branch" were of almost scientific accuracy. This made his works very popular throughout Europe. Van Kessel could charge good prices and sell many paintings. This enabled him and his family to live a good, secure life. However, after the death of his wife in 1678, the financial situation deteriorated increasingly. Van Kessel was too old and too ill to be able to paint. He was finally forced to mortgage his house. He died at the age of 53 and left behind a large mountain of debts.
×
Passionate Customer Service
 - (MeisterDrucke-283879).jpg "Concert of Birds by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-283879).jpg)
.jpg "A still life with sprig of Redcurrants, butterflies, beetles, caterpillar and insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-266274).jpg "A Still Life with Artichokes by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-266274).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-110324).jpg "Still life of branch of gooseberries, with a butterfly, moth, damsel fly and other insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-110324).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-75157).jpg "Butterflies, moths and other insects with a sprig of periwinkle by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-75157).jpg)
.jpg "Vanitas Still Life by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-64504).jpg "Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-64504).jpg)
.jpg "The Garden of Eden, 1659 by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-110223).jpg "Garden and Other Spiders, Caterpillars Spell the Artist")
 - (MeisterDrucke-110223).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-239635).jpg "A Study of Flowers and Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-239635).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-267696).jpg "Butterflies and Other Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-267696).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-85933).jpg "Butterflies and other Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-85933).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-89342).jpg "A sprig of redcurrants with an elephant hawk moth, a magpie moth and other insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-89342).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-94771).jpg "Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-94771).jpg)
.jpg "Study of Insects and Flowers by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-62270).jpg "Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-62270).jpg)
.jpg "Herons and Ducks by a River by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Eucharist by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-270250).jpg "Concert of Birds by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-270250).jpg)
.jpg "Decorative Still-Life Composition with a Basket of Fruit by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Spring Flowers in a glass vase, 17th century by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-55114).jpg "Butterflies, Moths and Other Insects with a Sprig of Apple Blossom by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-55114).jpg)
.jpg "A Wood near The Hague, with a view of the Huis ten Bosch by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Madonna with the Child and Saint Ildephonsus Framed with a Garland of Flowers by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Decorative Still-Life Composition with a Porcelain Bowl, Fruit and Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "A Dragon-fly, two Moths, a Spider and some Beetles, with wild Strawberries by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "A Chalice with the Eucharist in a cartouche decorated with flowers and fruit, c.1664 by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Three Butterflies, a Beetle and Other Insects, with a Cutting of Ragwort by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Venus at her Toilet by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-376692).jpg "Insects and Fruit, c.1660-5 by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-376692).jpg)
.jpg "Decorative Still-Life Composition with a Garland of Flowers by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "A Cockchafer, Beetle, Woodlice and other Insects, with a Sprig of Auricula by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Still Life with Fish and Sea Creatures in a Coastal Landscape by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-58932).jpg "Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-58932).jpg)
.jpg "The Entry to the Ark by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-92620).jpg "The Element of Water by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-92620).jpg)
.jpg "Medallion")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-138802).jpg "A Family of Owls, Other Birds and a Cat by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-138802).jpg)
.jpg "Wooded Landscape with a Cock, Turkey, Hens and other Birds, 17th century by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Roses, a Tulip, a Peony, a Cherry Blossom and a Centaurium in a Glass Vase on a Ledge by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Butterfly, Caterpillar, Moth, Insects and Currants, c.1650-65 by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-95443).jpg "Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-95443).jpg)
.jpg "View of the Heiligewegspoort in Amsterdam by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-177640).jpg "Various Spiders and Caterpillars, with a Sprig of Gooseberry, early 1650s by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-177640).jpg)
.jpg "A Landscape with a Cockerel and a Turkey Squabbling, and Other Fowl by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-290913).jpg "Butterflies, Insects and Flowers by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-290913).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-72772).jpg "Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-72772).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-76258).jpg "Ecclesia Surrounded by Symbols of Vanity by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-76258).jpg)
.jpg "Grapes and Peaches Spilling from an Overturned Delft Bowl by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-570584).jpg "A Concert of Birds by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-570584).jpg)
.jpg "Still Life with Fruit and Shell Fish by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Still Life - Garland of Fruit, Various Birds, Bouquets by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-62659).jpg "A Study of Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-62659).jpg)
.jpg "The Enemies of Snakes by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-243479).jpg "A Chorus of Birds by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-243479).jpg)
.jpg "Insects and Fruits by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-209793).jpg "The Heron and the Fox, 1661 by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-209793).jpg)
.jpg "Tropical Birds in a Landscape by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Still Life with Cuttlefish, Plaice, Cod, Mussels and Other Fish on a Dune, a Church Across an Estuary Beyond by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Fish and Landscape by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Landscape with a Mill by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Four Elements by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Still Life - Fish, Game, Vegetables by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Decorative Fowl and Ducklings by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-99838).jpg "An Otter and an Owl Guarding Their Catches by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-99838).jpg)
.jpg "Symbols of War by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Marine Animals, Fish, and Otter on the Beach with a View of a Bay with a Sailing Ship and Mountain in the Distance by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Fish and Marine Landscape by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Still Life with Fruit by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Garden Scene with Fountain by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Monkeys Feasting by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Shepherds by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Study of Butterfly and Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Four Still Lives of Food and Fruit by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-215481).jpg "Decorative Still-Life Composition with Birds and Two Bats by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-215481).jpg)
.jpg "Study of Butterflies and Other Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-41817).jpg "A Study of Butterflies and other Insects by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
 - (MeisterDrucke-41817).jpg)
.jpg "Study of Butterflies and Other Insects. 1657 by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Venus at the Forge of Vulcan by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
.jpg "Vertumnus and Pomona by Jan van Kessel the Elder")
.jpg)
+43 4257 29415
support@meisterdrucke.com
Mo-Do: 7:00 - 16:00 | Fr: 7:00 - 13:00
