The Utrecht Guild of Saint Luke refers to two artist collectives in Utrecht (city)

Utrecht (city)

Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...

; the old Catholic Zadelaarsgilde (Saddler's Guild) dating from the middle ages, as well as the newer Sint Lucas Gilde established in 1611. The first collective was for a number of trades that were connected to the art industry, though the smiths had their own guild called the "St. Eloyen" guild. The second collective was founded for the oil painters after 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...

. The Zadelaarsgilde fell under the patron saint Luke the Evangelist

Luke the Evangelist

Luke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer whom Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles...

 and the St. Eloyen guild fell under Saint Eligius

Saint Eligius

Saint Eligius is the patron saint of goldsmiths, other metalworkers, and coin collectors. He is also the patron saint of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers , a corps of the British Army, but he is best known for being the patron saint of horses and those who work with them...

.

History

Like other Dutch cities, Utrecht required membership in the guilds in order to sell wares falling under those guilds. In the 14th century, the Utrecht saddlemakers, painters, sculptors, book illustrators, and bookbinders were all united in the Zadelaarsgilde. In those days oil painters were just as likely to paint on leather parchment or harness as on wooden panels or sculptures, so the choice of trades united in this guild is not so strange. Utrecht in the middle ages was the largest city in the Northern Netherlands, capital of the Bishopric of Utrecht, and the main center for the Catholic religion. With each passing of an archbishop, a new archbishop would be appointed who brought his own artisans to town. Utrecht was thus an important art center and saw many innovations in the arts in general over the centuries. The smiths were split into guilds, one for the gold- and silversmiths under St. Eligius, and one for the bronze, iron and tin workers (including lock-, knife-, and and clock makers) in the Smeden guild. All three guilds existed well before the 14th century and were led by two "dekens" (deacons or aldermen), and they were associated with different churches.

During the course of the 17th century this slowly changed. The oil painters were reorganized under the leadership of Abraham Bloemaert

Abraham Bloemaert

Abraham Bloemaert was a Dutch painter and printmaker in etching and engraving. He was one of the "Haarlem Mannerists" from about 1585, but in the new century altered his style to fit new Baroque trends...

 into the Sint Lukasgilde, while the smiths's guilds were united under the St. Eloyengasthuis (St. Eloy's Hospice

St. Eloy's Hospice

St. Eloy's Hospice is a Guild House in Utrecht in the Netherlands.Between the Dom tower and the Mariaplaats in Utrecht in The Netherlands there is a unique house that bears the name: St. Eloyen Gasthuis . The house has been occupied by the Smedengilde since 1440. According to documents preserved...

) and led by the regents of that institution. In 1639 the oil painters were again reorganized into the Schilderscollege, which effectively forced out the sculptors. In 1717 the city council changed the formula from a guild to a society, and membership was no longer required. The task of the society was mostly the running of the drawing school called the Stadstekenacademie that had been held in the St. Hieronymusschool since 1696. In 1814 the name changed again, and it became the Painting and Drawing Society "Kunstliefde". The title means "love of art" and the members tended to apply themselves to the fashionable art of imitating the Dutch masters from the 17th century.

Today the society is housed on Nobelstraat 12a in Utrecht.

Guild members registered in Utrecht

Some notable members of the Utrecht Guild of Saint Luke (or Zadelaarsgilde) were Balthasar van der Ast

Balthasar van der Ast

Balthasar van der Ast was a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in still lifes of flowers and fruit, as well as painting a number of remarkable shell still lifes; he is considered to be a pioneer in the genre of shell painting. His still lifes often contain insects and lizards...

,
Dirck van Baburen

Dirck van Baburen

Dirck Jaspersz. van Baburen was a Dutch painter associated with the Utrecht Caravaggisti.-Biography:Dirck van Baburen was probably born in Wijk bij Duurstede, but his family moved to Utrecht when he was still young. He was also known as Teodoer van Baburen and Theodor Baburen...

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Abraham Bloemaert

Abraham Bloemaert

Abraham Bloemaert was a Dutch painter and printmaker in etching and engraving. He was one of the "Haarlem Mannerists" from about 1585, but in the new century altered his style to fit new Baroque trends...

,
Hendrick Bloemaert

Hendrick Bloemaert

-Biography:Hendrick was the oldest son of Abraham Bloemaert. His brothers Cornelis and Adriaen were also painters. In 1626 he was registered in Rome, but by 1631 he was back in Utrecht, where he registered in the Utrecht Guild of St...

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Johannes van Haensbergen

Johannes van Haensbergen

-Biography:He was registered in the Utrecht Guild of St. Luke in 1668 and in 1669 he was registered in the Confrerie Pictura in The Hague, where he worked until he died....

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Steven van Herwijck

Steven van Herwijck

Steven Cornelisz. van Herwijck , was a Netherlandish sculptor and gem engraver famous for his portrait medallions and medals...

,
Gijsbert d'Hondecoeter

Gijsbert d'Hondecoeter

Gijsbert d'Hondecoeter , was a Dutch landscape and animalier painter. -Biography:Hondecoeter belonged to a family of painters. His father was Gillis d'Hondecoeter and his son was Melchior d'Hondecoeter. Hondecoeter primarily painted works of barnyard fowl. Some of his works can be found at the...

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Gerard van Honthorst

Gerard van Honthorst

Gerard van Honthorst , also known as Gerrit van Honthorst and in Italy as Gherardo delle Notti for his nighttime candlelit subjects, was a Dutch Golden Age painter from Utrecht.-Biography:...

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Nikolaus Knüpfer

Nikolaus Knüpfer

-Biography:Knüpfer was trained in Leipzig, where according to Houbraken he was apprenticed to Emanuel Nysen. He then moved to Magdeburg where he found work making brushes for artists. He stayed there until 1630, and then moved to Utrecht to work with Abraham Bloemaert...

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Paulus Moreelse

Paulus Moreelse

Paulus Moreelse was a Dutch painter, mainly of portraits.-Life:Moreelse was born and died in Utrecht. He was a pupil of the Delft portrait painter Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt, who had himself been a pupil of Anthonie van Blocklandt. He took a study-trip to Italy, where he received many portrait...

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Herman Saftleven

Herman Saftleven

Herman Saftleven the Younger , was a Dutch painter of the Baroque period.-Biography:Born in Rotterdam, Saftleven lived most of his life in Utrecht. His brothers, Cornelis Saftleven and Abraham Saftleven were both painters...

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Roelant Savery

Roelant Savery

Roelant Savery , was a Flanders-born Dutch Golden Age painter.-Life:Savery was born in Kortrijk...

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Jan Vermeer van Utrecht

Jan Vermeer van Utrecht

Jan Vermeer van Utrecht , was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Though he was born near Delft, there is no known relation between this painter and Johannes Vermeer.-Biography:...

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Jan Weenix

Jan Weenix

Jan Weenix or Joannis Wenix was a Dutch painter. He was trained by his father, Jan Baptist Weenix, together with his cousin Melchior d'Hondecoeter. Like his father, he devoted himself to a variety of subjects, but his fame is chiefly due to his paintings of dead game and of hunting scenes...

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Jan Baptist Weenix

Jan Baptist Weenix

Jan Baptist Weenix , a painter of the Dutch Golden Age. Despite his relatively brief career, he was a very productive and versatile painter. His favourite subjects were Italian landscapes with large figures among ruins, seaside views, and, later in life, large still life pictures of dead game or dogs...

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Abraham Willaerts

Abraham Willaerts

Abraham Willaerts was a Dutch Baroque painter, mostly of marine and harbor scenes.Willaerts was born in Utrecht, the son of the painter Adam Willaerts. He trained with his father, becoming a member of the Utrecht guild of painters in 1624, and studied under Jan van Bijlert in Utrecht and with...

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Adam Willaerts

Adam Willaerts

Adam Willaerts was a Dutch Golden Age painter.-Biography:Willaerts was born in London to Flemish parents who had fled from Antwerp for religious reasons. By 1585 the family lived in Leiden. From 1597 until his death, Adam lived in Utrecht, where he became a member of the Guild of St...

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