Jan Wyck

Not to be confused withJohn Wick (disambiguation).

Jan Wyck
Born	29 October 1645 Haarlem,Dutch Republic
Died	17 May 1702(1702-05-17)(aged 56) Mortlake,England
Nationality	Dutch
Known for	Battle of the Boyne
Spouses	Ann Skinner ​ (m.1657⁠–⁠1687)​ Elizabeth Holomberg ​ ​ (m.1666⁠–⁠1693)​
Children	4 unknown to Anne; John (b.1689) William (b.1691) Elizabeth (b.1693)

John Wick(alsoJohn WickorJohn Wick) (29 October 1645 – 17 May 1702) was aDutchbaroquepainter,best known for his works on military subjects. There are still over 150 of his works known to be in existence.

In an era when French artists dominated the genre, the arrival of Wyck and other Dutch and Flemish artists in Great Britain from 1660 onwards provided the catalyst for the development of military and naval art in Britain. Like other painters from theLow Countriessuch as Dirk Maas,Peter TillemansandWilliam van de Velde,Wyck moved to England and worked there throughout his life, often underroyal patronage,producing many fine works ofbattle paintings,portraits,hunting scenes andlandscapesas well as advancing the development of British art through teaching.

Early life

A sketch of theOld St Paul's Cathedraldone by Jan's father Thomas Wyck in 1673.

John Wick was born on 29 October 1652, inHaarlem,then part of theDutch Republic.The son ofThomas Wyck(1616-1677), also a Dutch painter, it is assumed that his father taught him to paint, although little is actually known of his early life. His father had spent much of the 1630s inRome,refining an Italianate style, which can be seen in the works of both father and son. It appears likely that at a fairly young age he and his father moved to England during the reign ofCharles II of England,possibly in 1664. It also seems likely that they were in London at the time of theGreat Fire of London,as his father created one of the last sketches ofOld St Paul's Cathedralin its ruined state before it was knocked down to create the newSt Paul's Cathedral,as well as night scenes of the fire itself.

The first documented reference to John Wick comes from the sessions of the London court of the Painter-Stainers' Company where, on 17 June 1674, he is recorded as promising to pay both his own and his father's quarterly fees. At this hearing he also promised to soon deliver his 'proofe piece'. However his father had returned to Haarlem within a year, and died less than two and a half years later on 19 August 1677.

Although the details of his first marriage are unknown, John Wick was married for a second time on 22 November 1676 with his certificate stating: 'Jan Wick of St Paul's Covent Garden, gent., widower, about 31...'. The reference to him being a widower at the age of 24 indicates he was first married at a young age. His second wife was a 19-year-old English woman called Anne Skinner ofSt Martin-in-the-fields.They had four children between 1678 and 1683, but none of them survived their early childhood.

Following the death of Anne in 1687, he remarried for the third time to a Dutch woman by the name of Elizabeth Holomberg in 1688. They moved into a new home inMortlake,and between 1689 and 1693 they had two sons (John, b.1689 and William, b.1691) and a daughter (Elizabeth, b. 1693) together. His wife Elizabeth died giving birth to their daughter.

Art career

TheBattle of the Boyne,by John Wick, c.1693.

As the son of a fairly successful artist, it is likely Wyck was painting and drawing from a young age. Enjoying the patronage of theDuke of OrmondWyck was known as the best landscape painter in London by 1686. By the timeWilliam III of Englandascended to the throne, Wyck was also enjoying the patronage of theDuke of Monmouth.He painted a portrait of Monmouth on horseback in the 1670s, as well as many depictions of him in battle, such as at theSiege of Maastrichtin 1673, and at theBattle of Bothwell Bridgein 1679.

Wyck was placed upon the committee of Acting Painters of the Painter-Stainers' Company on 24 November 1680, which was a recognition of his rising talent. He first made a public name for himself when he accompanied fellow Dutch painterDirk MaastoIrelandto paint thecampaignsof William III. Maas had received a commission from King William to paint theBattle of the Boyne,and, although it is not known if he was also present at the battle, Wyck also painted many scenes from the battle. Throughout the 1690s, he is known to have created at least half a dozen oils of the battle, as well as countless battle pieces, encampments and equestrian portraits of soldiers before battle.

William was impressed with his work, and commissioned him to paint himself, which he did many times, often in equestrian poses. William had soon also called upon Wyck to depict countless scenes of his campaigns throughout thelow countriesduring theNine Years' War(also known asKing William's War), including theSiege of Namur,and theSiege of Naarden.

Other scenes he painted include theSiege of Derry(1689), and the horse and battle portion ofGodfrey Kneller's famous portrait of theDuke of Schomberg,who had been killed at the Battle of the Boyne.

Wyck's works are notable for their flair and colour, as well as the excellent attention to detail. He highlights features such as flourishing sabres, firing muskets, flaring horses nostrils and cannons spouting flames. But most importantly he brought the viewer into the battle at a time when the prevailing trend was to present birds-eye views over a battle, showing disposition and locations of troop formations. He personalised the soldiers, and created an atmospheric presentation of the scenes depicted. He also celebrated notable commanders and recognisable figures within his works, a feature that made him popular with those commissioning works.

Later life

John Wick began to school young British artists whilst continuing to work on his own projects, and became highly influential in the development of British art in the period, particularly in the genre of battle painting. One of his principal students that went on to produce great works of national importance wasJohn Wootton,who exemplified British equestrian and military art in the early eighteenth century.Another student was the amateur painter SirMartin Beckmanand Matthias Read.Read moved toWhitehavenand became known as the "Father of Cumbrian Painting".

John Wick died at his family home inMortlake,Surrey,on 17 May 1702, aged 56.

Known works

• Lieutenant and Lieutenant-Colonel Randolph Egerton MP (d. 1681), the King’s Troop of Horse Guards,c1672 (in the collection of theNational Army Museum,London)
• James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch,1675 (in the collection of theNational Portrait Gallery (London))
• William III leading his troops at the Battle of Namur,1690s? (in private ownership; sold atChristie'sauction in 2008 for €6,250 ($8,020))
• William III Landing at Brixham, Torbay, 5 November 1688,1688, (in the collection of theNational Maritime Museum,London)
• King William III,1688 (in theGovernment Art Collection)
• King William III on horseback, 1690 (in theGovernment Art Collection)
• A cavalry skirmish,1680s?, (in the collection of theCourtauld Institute,London)
• Cavalry Battle,1680s?, (in the collection of the Courtauld Institute, London)
• A river landscape with travelers bathing, by a village
• A battle scene
• A prospect of Whitehaven,1686 (in the collection ofLord Cavendish,Holker Hall)
• The Battle of the Boyne,1690 (in the collection of theNational Army Museum,London)
• King William III and his army at the Siege of Namur,1695 (in the collection of theNational Army Museum,London)
• The battle of the Boyne, prior to the death of the Duke of Schomberg before William III,1690 (in private ownership; sold at Whyte's auction in 2008 for an undisclosed amount)
• Stag hunting beside a river,1690s, (unsold at Christie's auction in 2008)
• A race meeting on Newmarket Heath,unknown, (in private ownership; sold atSotheby'sauction in 2002 for an undisclosed amount)
• A huntsman with a hare and hounds aboveBerkhamsted,Hertfordshire,signed; sold Sotheby's 1986.
• Hunting party, said to be the Duc de Chartres in an extensive landscape,unknown (in private ownership; sold at Sotheby's auction in 1994 for an undisclosed amount)
• An elegant hunting party resting under a tree, a river and a village beyond
• An Extensive Landscape with an Army Fording a River, Said to be Louis XIV Crossing the Rhine,1692 (in theRoyal Collection)
• A Cavalry Battle In a Valley Beneath a Fortified City
• Horse Guards Parade,1690s, (in the private collection of Ackermann and Johnson Ltd)
• Italianate Landscape with Town and Waterfall,1680s? (in the collection ofTate Gallery,London)
• A Fortified Village in a Rocky Landscape,1680s? (in the collection ofTate Gallery,London)
• A Rocky Landscape with Bridge and Cottage,1680s? (in the collection of Tate Gallery, London)
• Defeat of the Moors by the British Garrison of Tangier, 27 October 1680,1680s? (in the collection ofNational Museums Scotland,Edinburgh)

Further reading

• Henry Ford,Ten Thousand Questions Answered: A Popular Dictionary of Fine Art,2003
• Peter Harbison,Ireland's Treasures,2004
• Peter Harrington,British Artists and War: The Face of Battle in Paintings and Prints, 1700-1914,1993
• Peter Harrington, "Images of the Boyne,"The Irish Sword,Vol. XVIII, No. 70, Winter 1990, pp. 57–61
• Haldane Macfall,A History of Painting: The Dutch Genius Part Five,2004
• Haldane Macfall,A History of Painting: The Modern Genius Part Eight,2004
• John Rothenstein,An Introduction to English Painting,2002
• Geraldine Stout,Newgrange and the Bend of the Boyne,2002
• Louis Viardot,A Brief History Of The Painters Of All Schools,2007

External links

• 50 artworks by or after Jan Wyckat theArt UKsite
• Artfact.com
• Oxford Dictionary of Biography