Willem Key
Encyclopedia
Willem Key was a Flemish renaissance painter.
from Lambert Lombard
us in Liège. He became a member of the Guild of St. Luke in Antwerp in 1540. He was a rich man who lived in a large house in the center of town near the exchange. He became specialized in flattering portraits and made a good living from theatrically posed group portraits. In van Mander's biography, he mentions several larger pieces by his hand that were burned during the Beeldenstorm
. In particular he mentions a group portrait of the market-sellers (kramers) in the kramers altar of the Onze-Lievevrouwenkerk in Antwerp. This sentence means that when we view his painting of the last supper in Delft
, we are probably looking at a period group portrait of basket weavers and barrel makers, since this painting was commissioned for the altar of St John the Evangelist in the Grote Kerk in Delft, and at that time (ca.1560) he was the patron saint of the coopers or kuipers in Delft.
and Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn
. When these men were executed on the main square in Brussels
on 5 June 1568, he was so upset that he died on the same day. This story was widely accepted as the truth, but van Mander found it hard to believe and thinks he died a few days beforehand. In any case it is interesting to note that many of his paintings were destroyed, while he is best known today for his portrait of the Duke of Alva, that was copied many times. The surviving last supper is still in the original frame with a Latin inscription around it with the words of Luke 22:21-23 which are translated as:
According to the Rijksmuseum
, Adriaen Thomasz Key
was a distant relation and his pupil.
Biography
According to van Mander he learned painting together with Frans FlorisFrans Floris
Frans Floris, or more correctly Frans de Vriendt, called Floris was a Flemish painter. He was a member of a large family trained to the study of art in Flanders.-Biography:...
from Lambert Lombard
Lambert Lombard
Lambert Lombard was a Renaissance painter, architect and theorist for the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. During his career he worked for Jan Gossaert in Middelburg and trained Frans Floris. In 1532 he became court painter and architect in Liège...
us in Liège. He became a member of the Guild of St. Luke in Antwerp in 1540. He was a rich man who lived in a large house in the center of town near the exchange. He became specialized in flattering portraits and made a good living from theatrically posed group portraits. In van Mander's biography, he mentions several larger pieces by his hand that were burned during the Beeldenstorm
Beeldenstorm
Beeldenstorm in Dutch, roughly translatable to "statue storm", or Bildersturm in German , also the Iconoclastic Fury, is a term used for outbreaks of destruction of religious images that occurred in Europe in the 16th century...
. In particular he mentions a group portrait of the market-sellers (kramers) in the kramers altar of the Onze-Lievevrouwenkerk in Antwerp. This sentence means that when we view his painting of the last supper in Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
, we are probably looking at a period group portrait of basket weavers and barrel makers, since this painting was commissioned for the altar of St John the Evangelist in the Grote Kerk in Delft, and at that time (ca.1560) he was the patron saint of the coopers or kuipers in Delft.
Betrayal - theme of his life as well as of his painting?
Karel van Mander goes on to say that while Key was painting Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba's portrait, he pretended he couldn't understand foreign speech, and so he overheard the Bloed-raedt plot against the statesmen Lamoral, Count of EgmontLamoral, Count of Egmont
Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere was a general and statesman in the Habsburg Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Years' War, whose execution helped spark the national uprising that eventually led to the independence of the Netherlands.The Count of Egmont headed one of the...
and Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn
Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn
Philip de Montmorency was also known as Count of Horn or Hoorne or Hoorn.-Biography:De Montmorency was born, between 1518 and 1526, possibly at the Ooidonk Castle, as the son of Jozef van Montmorency, Count of Nevele and Anna van Egmont...
. When these men were executed on the main square in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
on 5 June 1568, he was so upset that he died on the same day. This story was widely accepted as the truth, but van Mander found it hard to believe and thinks he died a few days beforehand. In any case it is interesting to note that many of his paintings were destroyed, while he is best known today for his portrait of the Duke of Alva, that was copied many times. The surviving last supper is still in the original frame with a Latin inscription around it with the words of Luke 22:21-23 which are translated as:
But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me [is] with me on the table. And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed! And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. — LukeGospel of LukeThe Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
22:21-23 KJV
According to the Rijksmuseum
Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam or simply Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum in Amsterdam, located on the Museumplein. The museum is dedicated to arts, crafts, and history. It has a large collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and a substantial collection of Asian art...
, Adriaen Thomasz Key
Adriaen Thomasz Key
Adriaen Thomasz Key , was a Flemish Renaissance portrait painter.-Biography:Little is known of his life. According to the Rijksmuseum, he was a pupil of his relative Willem Key. According to the RKD he became a vrijmeester, or master in the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 1568.-References:...
was a distant relation and his pupil.