Aart van Antum

Dutch and English Warships in Battle

Aert Anthonisz, also known as Aart van Antum (1580 - 7 September 1620 (buried)) was a Dutch marine-painter.

Biography

Until 1973 this painter was known as Aart van Antum, after his early signatures were interpreted as "Aert Antum".^[1] Later research showed his signature to be "AERT ANT(...)"; whereby the last letters are sometimes included in varying degrees of completion.^[1] One reason so little is known of him, is that his life and work were overlooked or omitted by early 17th and 18th century painter biographers such as Arnold Houbraken.^[1] Anthonisz was born at Antwerp.^[1] His parents moved the family in 1591 to Amsterdam. He was possibly a pupil of Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom.^[1] In 1603 he signed a paper in Amsterdam that he was 23 years old and had lived there for 12 years, when he married Baycken Coutermans from Mechelin.^[1] She in turn was given power of attorney by him to settle an inheritance in Mechelin in 1614.^[1] He was buried in the Zuiderkerk of Amsterdam.^[1]

Anthonisz was the father of the marine painter Hendrick van Anthonissen.^[1] A seapiece by him, signed A. A., is in the Berlin Museum.

References

1. Aart van Antum in the RKD

This article incorporates text from the article "ANTUM, Aart van" in Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers by Michael Bryan, edited by Robert Edmund Graves and Sir Walter Armstrong, an 1886–1889 publication now in the public domain.

• Anthonisz., Aert at the RKD databases
• Aart van Antum on Artnet