Saint Ivo of Brittany

Jacob Jordaens prints bring the noise and warmth of a Flemish Baroque feast into your home. After the deaths of Rubens and Van Dyck, Jordaens became the leading painter in Antwerp, known for crowded tables, raised glasses, bagpipers and earthy, red-cheeked faces. This collection gathers art prints of his festive genre scenes alongside his mythological pictures, biblical stories and family portraits, all painted with rich color and strong light.

About Jacob Jordaens

Jacob Jordaens was born in Antwerp on 19 May 1593, the eldest of eleven children of a wealthy linen merchant. Like Rubens, he trained with the painter Adam van Noort, and in 1615 he became a master in the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke. A year later he married his teacher's eldest daughter, Catharina van Noort.

Unlike Rubens and Van Dyck, Jordaens never made the usual trip to Italy, and he lived in Antwerp almost his whole life. He often worked as an independent collaborator of Rubens, including on the decorations for the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand's entry into Antwerp in 1635. His main clients were wealthy townspeople and local churches.

Royal commissions came later in his career: a series on Cupid and Psyche for Charles I of England, ceiling paintings ordered by Queen Christina of Sweden, and the huge Triumph of Frederick Henry for the Huis ten Bosch in The Hague. Toward the end of his life he converted to Calvinism. He died in Antwerp on 18 October 1678, on the same day as his daughter Elisabeth.

Style and Subjects

Jordaens is best known today for large, rowdy genre scenes. The King Drinks shows a family celebrating Twelfth Night around a crowded table, and As the Old Sing, So Pipe the Young turns a Flemish saying into a lively family concert. His figures are solid and down to earth rather than idealized, with ruddy skin, rumpled clothes and a lot of good humor.

He also painted myths, Bible stories, allegories and portraits, and he designed tapestries and prints. From Rubens he took a strong play of light and shade, and he admired northern Italian painters such as Jacopo Bassano, Veronese and Caravaggio. Look for warm reds and golds, crowded compositions and figures pressed close to the front of the picture.

Famous Works

• The King Drinks (c. 1640), Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels. A Twelfth Night party in full swing, as the bean king raises his glass and the whole table cheers.
• As the Old Sing, So Pipe the Young (1638), Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. Old and young sing and play music together around a table, illustrating a Flemish proverb.
• Mercury and Argus (c. 1620), Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon. Mercury plays his flute to lull the herdsman Argus to sleep.
• The Abduction of Europa (1643), Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille. Jupiter, disguised as a white bull, carries the princess Europa away.
• Cleopatra's Feast (1653), Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. The Egyptian queen stages a lavish banquet for Mark Antony.
• King Candaules of Lydia Showing his Wife to Gyges (1646), Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. A story from Herodotus, painted with Jordaens's usual frankness.
• Triumph of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (1652), Huis ten Bosch, The Hague. A huge allegory of the prince's military victories, painted for the Orange hall.

Decorating with Jordaens Prints

The feast scenes are made for dining rooms, kitchens and open-plan living spaces. The King Drinks or As the Old Sing, So Pipe the Young over a sideboard or long table sets a convivial mood, and their deep reds, browns and golds sit well with dark wood, brass and candlelight.

The mythological and biblical paintings are larger in feeling and work best where they have room: a stairwell, a hallway or above a fireplace. For a study or library, choose a single portrait or a smaller allegory to bring Baroque richness to the room without overwhelming it.

FAQ

What art movement was Jacob Jordaens part of?

Jordaens was a Flemish Baroque painter. After the deaths of Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, he became the leading Flemish painter of his time.

What is Jacob Jordaens's most famous painting?

He is best known for The King Drinks, a Twelfth Night feast he painted in several versions, and As the Old Sing, So Pipe the Young (1638). Both show crowded, cheerful family gatherings.

Where can I see Jordaens's original paintings?

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp hold major works. Other paintings are at the Louvre, the Hermitage, the Prado and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

How can you recognize a Jordaens painting?

Look for crowded tables, rosy, down-to-earth faces, strong light and shade, and a lot of warm red and gold. His people look like real Antwerp townsfolk rather than idealized heroes.

Was Jordaens a student of Rubens?

No. He is often called a follower of Rubens, but he was never recorded as a member of Rubens's workshop. Both men trained with the same teacher, Adam van Noort, and Jordaens often worked with Rubens as an independent collaborator.

Related Artists

• Peter Paul Rubens — Antwerp's leading painter, with whom Jordaens often collaborated
• Anthony van Dyck — the third great Flemish Baroque painter of Jordaens's generation
• Cornelis de Vos — worked with Jordaens on the triumphal arch for the 1635 Joyous Entry
• Adam van Noort — Jordaens's only teacher, and later his father-in-law
• Caravaggio — one of the Italian painters whose use of light shaped Jordaens's work