Jan Luyken: a moralising Dutch artist

Portrait of Jan Luyken by A. Houbraken

from the Bowyer Bible, 1700

Jan Luyken (1649-1712) was an engraver and poet, who lived in a very educated, middle class part of Amsterdam. His timing was critical; he was born soon after the Dutch Republic was officially recognised by Spain as an independent Republic. So religious practice in his parents' home was in transition; at the time of his marriage Jan's father belonged to the Reformed Church but soon converted. This was when the Calvinist Church was first recognised as the official church. Non-Calvinist Protestants and Catholics could continue to worship, but quietly.

As an adolescent, Jan Luyken was leading the good life, possibly a life full of wine, women and poetry. In 1671 he published German Lyric, a book of hedonistic poetry. There was no problem; he was young, single and not religious at the time. But I won’t examine this early work, in case it embarrassed him when the artist was older.

I am not sure what changed his life style but in 1672, aged 23, Luyken joined the Anabaptists. Then he seemed to have had a complete conversion in 1675: "In the 26th year of his life the Lord appeared in his heart in a powerful manner whereupon, afire with the love of God, he forsook his old bad company to join the God-fearing". It did not stop him creating his images, however. Luyken continued to be a versatile and productive engraver and etcher.

Anneken Hendriks, Frisian Mennonite,

burned to death in Dam Sq Amsterdam

published 1685, Wiki

BibliOdyssey reproduced images that depicted hanging, burning, torture, beheading, crucifixion and boiling, a broad artistic encyclopaedia of inhumanity. The images were extremely difficult to look at, so Luiken repeated Matthew's words: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".

Perhaps the pain in his art reflected the pain in Luyken's own life. After 10 years of marriage and the birth of 5 children, Luyken’s wife died tragically. His son Casper (1672-1708), the only child to live into adulthood, collaborated with his father and became a well-known etcher in his own right. But even Casper died tragically at a young age, leaving a widow and young son who moved in with Jan.

The Martyrs Mirror had been first published in 1660 in Dutch by Thieleman J. van Braght. It documented the stories and testimonies of Christian martyrs, especially Anabaptists, and was said to be second only to the Bible in Mennonite homes. Luyken was given the very great honour of illustrating the 1685 edition of the Martyrs Mirror with 104 copper etchings. 30 of his plates survived and were part of The Mirror of the Martyrs Exhibit, at the Kauffman Museum at Bethel College, North Newton Kansas. The rest of the copper plates were probably destroyed in WW2 chaos.

Anabaptist Dirk Willems rescues his pursuer but is burned at the stake,

printed in1685 edition of Martyr's Mirror

Wiki

I am particularly interested in a large project that Luykens undertook in middle aged. The Book of Trades was a book of 100 engravings that Jan & his son Caspar published in 1694, illustrating various trades in Amsterdam in the Netherlands’ most productive century. The book followed the moralist contemporary style that seemed to be popular then, having a moralistic poem per trade. Morality aside, there was useful and detailed historical evidence in this book about trades that were common in late C17th Netherlands.

One example helps. The grave digger showed that when there was no room left in a church graveyard, the grave digger would have to take the old bodies out to make space for the new ones. It might have been depressing work, but in the background the observant viewer could detect a stork’s nest on the chimney. The symbols of birth, death and mortality all appeared to be an integral part of the scene.

Luyken died in poverty either because he was ill and couldn’t work, or because when his son died, Jan had to support his daughter in law and the grandchildren. Nonetheless his legacy lived on. 3,000+ of Luyken’s works survive today, especially in the field of book illustration. As well as travel literature and historical works, he used many Biblical subjects. Jan Luyken's can be found on the outer wall of the Rijksmuseum at the side of Jan Luijkenstraat, located in the neighbourhood where all the streets are named after Netherland's Golden Age artists. Perfect!

Apostle Bartholomew skinned alive and beheaded in Armenia in 70 AD 

published in 1694

Luyken’s legacy is also protected by modern historians eg Simon Schama, Embarrassment of Riches: Dutch Culture in the Golden Age (1997). For more specific references on the artist, see Biography of Jan Luyken by Josephine Brown.