Willem Wissing: 7 interesting facts

Willem Wissing, known in England as William Wissing (1656 – 10 September 1687), was a Dutch portrait artiste who worked in England.

He was born in either Amsterdam or The Hague, and studied at The Hague below Willem Doudijns (1630–97) and Arnoldus van Ravestyn (1615–90). In 1676, he moved to England, where he studied gone and assisted Peter Lely. After Lely’s death in 1680, Wissing emerged as his most important pupil. Godfrey Kneller was the on your own contemporary portrait artist in England to rival Wissing. Wissing’s royal sitters combine Charles II of England, Catherine of Braganza, George of Denmark and James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth.

See also  10 facts about Salomon Koninck

In 1685, James II of England sent Wissing to the Netherlands to paint portraits of his Dutch son-in-law and daughter, the difficult William III of England and the vanguard Mary II of England. The portraits were often repeated; versions are on display in the Great Hall of the Wren building at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Wissing died in 1687 at the zenith of his fame as a portrait painter, at Burghley House, the house of John Cecil, 5th Earl of Exeter close Stamford in Lincolnshire. Some suspected he was tainted out of jealousy of his success. According to Arnold Houbraken his epitaph was Immodicis brevis est aetas, meaning Brief is the vivaciousness of the outstanding. He was buried in St Martin’s Church, Stamford, Lincolnshire.

Fellow Dutch immigrant Jan van der Vaart worked in his workshop and extra the draperies and landscapes in the portraits painted by Wissing. After Wissing’s death in 1687, van der Vaart continued Wissing’s workshop.

Many of Wissing’s portraits of prominent sitters and his self-portrait were disseminated in mezzotint.

What do you think of the works of Willem Wissing?

Use the form below to say your opinion about Willem Wissing. All opinions are welcome!

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.