Hendrik Herregouts

Hendrik Herregouts (Mechelen, 1633 – Antwerp, 1704) was a Flemish history and portrait painter and draughtsman with an international career spanning Italy, Germany and his native Flanders.

Hendrik Herregouts was born in Mechelen as the son of painter David Herregouts from Mechelen who moved to Roermond in 1646. Here David Herregouts built a successful career as a painter thanks to the support of the local Catholic Church. Hendrik’s mother was Cecile Geniets, a daughter from a family of butchers in Mechelen. Hendrik had three brothers who became painters:

Hendrik Herregouts likely first trained under his father who had moved to Roermond. Hendrik Herregouts travelled to Rome at an early age to continue his studies. He later moved to Germany. He married Anna Dorothea Cremers in Cologne in 1660 or 1661. In 1664 Hendrik Herregouts became a master of the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp, but some years later we find him completing commissions in Mechelen. Here he had to join the local Guild of Saint Luke. Around 1679-1680, he had again a workshop in Antwerp. His younger brother Jan Baptist likely joined him in his workshop in Antwerp. He became a member of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1677. Between the years 1680 and 1690 he lived for several years in Bruges, where he was possibly joined by his brother Jan Baptist to assist with some of the religious and secular commissions he was completing in that city. He probably intermittently travelled to Italy. He was given the nickname 'Romein' (the 'Roman') because of his close connection to Italy.

His marriage was reportedly not happy and he separated from his wife. After the death of his first wife, he married a second time in Antwerp in 1682. His second wife was Nathalie Godijn, likely the sister of his pupil Abraham Godijn. In 1685 he received a commission from the Confrerie of the Holy Sacrement to design a triumphal arch to commemorate the centenary of the restoration of the Catholic cult in the St. James' Church, Antwerp.

His pupils included Abraham Godijn, Martinus van Nies (1679-1680); Alouysius Sammels and Cornelis Henricus van Meurs (1693-1694).

...
Wikipedia