Jacques van Meegeren

Jacques van Meegeren
Jac van Meegeren (1965)
Born	Jacques Henri Emil van Meegeren (1912-08-26)26 August 1912 Rijswijk, Netherlands
Died	26 October 1977(1977-10-26) (aged 65) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Education	Han van Meegeren
Known for	Illustration, painting, forgery, journalism
Spouse(s)	Lucienne Combey (1938–1977; estranged after 1954)

Jacques Henri Emil van Meegeren (26 August 1912 – 26 October 1977) was a Dutch illustrator and painter.

He is also considered to be a forger of the work of his father, Han van Meegeren, a forger of old masters who became known for this. He was, however, less gifted and his forgeries adversely affected the reputation of his father's work.

Van Meegeren was born 26 August 1912 in the little village of Rijswijk, near The Hague, the Netherlands, four months after the marriage of his parents. His father was Han van Meegeren, who later became notorious as an art forger, while his mother was descended from an Indonesian royal family. In 1915, his sister Inez was born.

Van Meegeren adored his father and loved being allowed to go to his father's studio and help him by cleaning brushes and such. When he grew older, his father took him along to art dealers and museums, teaching him how to observe and assess paintings and other works of art. He soon began to sketch and draw, and demonstrated that he had talent for it.

In 1923, his parents divorced. It is not certain whether Van Meegeren followed his mother to Paris at that time or remained in The Hague. It is known, however, that in 1927 he went with his mother and sister to Sumatra. They went to live there with his mother's family, who were directly related to the Sultan of Serdang. Van Meegeren attended the government HBS – a high school – in nearby Medan, traveling every day in a little steam train. A charming incident occurred at that time:
Van Meegeren and his mother made a visit to the Sultan of Serdang. This Sultan had a small harem of eleven wives, the youngest of whom was very beautiful. He introduced his nephew to this woman and instructed her to entertain his guest as best as she could. Van Meegeren enjoyed the most idyllic moments with this young woman; it was an exotic way for a boy of 16 to be initiated into the secrets of love.