Jan Abrahamsz Beerstraaten or Johannes (Beerstrat or Bierstraten) (bapt. 1 March 1622 in
Amsterdam – buried 1 July 1666) was a Dutch painter of
marine art, particularly of events of the
First Anglo-Dutch War and
Dutch-Swedish War. Van Beerstraten depicted ports (
Civitavecchia) and cityscapes of Amsterdam, as well as many cities and villages in the Netherlands.[1] He captured castles, churches and other buildings that no longer exist.[2]
Biography
Jan Abrahamsz, painter, was the son of Abraham Danielsz., a table clothmaker from
Emden.[3] He married on 30 August 1642, living at Elandstraat in the
Jordaan. From this marriage twelve children were born.[4] In 1651 he bought a new house at
Rozengracht (174) opposite a labyrinth.[5][6][7] In 1652 he watched the fire of the old townhall and produced one of his best works. In 1658
Rembrandt,
Hendrickje Stoffels and
Titus van Rijn became neighbors. In 1662, together with his eldest son, he traveled to Friesland, Groningen and many other places in
Holland. In 1664 his wife died after a delivery and three children likely because of the plague.[8]
In May 1665 he remarried in the church at
Sloterdijk. On 1 July 1666 Van Beerstraten was buried in
Westerkerk;[9] his widow died three weeks later after a delivery. Four children were taken to the orphanage; the youngest sons survived, one was a school teacher and the other a carpenter.[10][11]
Van Beerstraten was a pupil of
Pieter Cornelisz van Soest; he owned a painting by
Wouwerman,
Pieter de Hoogh and
Jan van der Heyden, and kept a large collection of books in his attic according to his inventory.[12]
There is some confusion about the identity of four landscape painters named Beerstraaten; Johannis, this Jan Abrahamsz,
Abraham, Johannes and
Anthonie.[13][14][15] Currently, the RKD records Jan and Johannis as the same person, and Abraham Beerstraaten, who specialized in winterscapes, is considered to be his oldest son.[16]Abraham Storck who cooperated with
his son, inherited his unfinished paintings.[17][18]
^Abraham (1643-1666), Jacobeus (1644-), Antonie (1646-1652 or 1665), Sara (1648), Daniel (Utrecht, 1650), Johannes (1652-1667), Cornelia (1655), Maria (1656), Jacobus (1658-1711), Magdalena (1660-1666), Daniel (1661-1718) and Maria (1664).
^Bredius, Abraham [Bearb.] Künstlerinventare: Urkunden zur Geschichte der holländischen Kunst des XVIten, XVIIten und XVIIIten Jahrhunderts (Band 3) — Haag, 1917
^Most, G. van der (2002) Jan Abrahamsz., Abraham, Anthonie Beerstraten, kunstschilders uit de zeventiende eeuw, met een kunsthistorische bijdrage van E. Bartels, p. 20.