Jan Woutersz van Cuyck
Encyclopedia
Jan Woutersz van Cuyck (ca.1540-1572) was a Dutch Renaissance
painter from Dordrecht
. He became famous as a Mennonite
martyr
of the Protestant Reformation
who was hanged in 1572. His heart-wrenching letters from prison were published in the Martyrs Mirror
.
beliefs. He was persuaded to paint the sheriff as Solomon
in an allegorical painting that hung in the city hall of Dordrecht when he was writing. This story was only proved wrong a century later when archival evidence showed that the painting had already been paid for in 1552.
Cuyck was burned together with another Mennonite martyr, Adriaentgen Jans van Molenaarsgraaf. He left a wife, a daughter of 7 years, and a great rumour. His story and letters he wrote in prison were published in the Martyrs Mirror, also known as t Bloedig Tooneel der Doopsgezinden, by Tieleman Jansz van Bracht. Houbraken quoted both Mathias Balen
's Beschryvinge van Dordrecht p. 841. and the Martyrs Mirror, pag. 590. and p. 628.
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
painter from Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
. He became famous as a Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
who was hanged in 1572. His heart-wrenching letters from prison were published in the Martyrs Mirror
Martyrs Mirror
The Martyrs Mirror or The Bloody Theater, first published in 1660 in Dutch by Thieleman J. van Braght, documents the stories and testimonies of Christian martyrs, especially Anabaptists...
.
Biography
According to Houbraken he was imprisoned for his MennoniteMennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
beliefs. He was persuaded to paint the sheriff as Solomon
Solomon
Solomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...
in an allegorical painting that hung in the city hall of Dordrecht when he was writing. This story was only proved wrong a century later when archival evidence showed that the painting had already been paid for in 1552.
Cuyck was burned together with another Mennonite martyr, Adriaentgen Jans van Molenaarsgraaf. He left a wife, a daughter of 7 years, and a great rumour. His story and letters he wrote in prison were published in the Martyrs Mirror, also known as t Bloedig Tooneel der Doopsgezinden, by Tieleman Jansz van Bracht. Houbraken quoted both Mathias Balen
Mathias Balen
Mathias or Matthijs Jansz. Balen was a Dutch historian.-Biography:He first distinguished himself as a poet, but afterwards applied himself to historical researches, and in 1677 published a description of Dordrecht in two volumes, which is full of valuable matter. He died shortly after its...
's Beschryvinge van Dordrecht p. 841. and the Martyrs Mirror, pag. 590. and p. 628.