Justus van Egmont

Justus van Egmont or Joost van Egmont (Leiden, 1602 – Antwerp, 8 January 1674) was a painter and a tapestry designer. After training in Antwerp and working in Rubens' workshop he left for France where he was a court painter. He later returned to Flanders where he worked in Antwerp and Brussels. He is mainly known for his portrait paintings, although he also painted some history subjects.

Justus van Egmont was born in Leiden as the son of Dirk Joostzone van Egmont, a carpenter, and Constantia Leenaerts. After becoming widowed his mother took her family, which included two daughters from her first marriage, back to her native Antwerp when Justus was 14 years old. In Antwerp Justus became an apprentice of the painter Gaspar van den Hoecke in 1615. Three years later, he made a will. It has traditionally been assumed that he made the will with the intention of undertaking a trip to Italy like many other artists of his day since such as trip was considered a necessary part of an artist's training. However, the absence of any evidence for such a trip to Italy and the lack of any discernible Italian influence on the style or compositions of his later work have cast some doubts as to whether he really travelled to Italy.

Not long after he made his will, van Egmont is recorded in the circle of Antony van Dyck as is evidenced by the fact that during a court case he stated that he had worked on a series of apostles for van Dyck.

From the latest the year 1625 (but possibly already starting from 1622) and to about 1628 he worked in the workshop of Rubens where he was involved in the series of paintings on The life of Maria de Medici. He became a master of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 1628. While living in Antwerp he had a relationship with Emerentia (Emerentiana) Bosschaert who bore him three sons out of wedlock: Joost (Justus), Konstantijn en Theodoor who were born between 1623 and 1627. Their relationship was later regularized and the couple would have more children including sons Bonaventura and Philippe and three daughters named Prudentia, Marie and Anna Catharina. Van Egmont’s children trained as painters and are believed to have worked in the workshop of their father at one time or the other. However, none of them would achieve their father’s success.

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