Lucas de Wael

Lucas de Wael
Portrait of the brothers Lucas and Cornelius de Wael by Anthony van Dyck.
Born	Lucas de Wael (1591-03-03)3 March 1591 Antwerp
Died	25 October 1661(1661-10-25) (aged 70) Antwerp
Nationality	Flemish
Known for	Painting, Engraving
Movement	Baroque

Lucas de Wael (3 March 1591 – 25 October 1661) was a Flemish painter, engraver and merchant. He was born in Antwerp and worked for some time in Genoa in Italy before returning to Antwerp, where he died.

Lucas de Wael was born into an artistic family in Antwerp as the son of the painter Jan de Wael I (1558-1633). His mother Gertrude de Jode came from a family of artists: her father was the cartographer Gerard de Jode and her brother was the engraver Peter de Jode I. He first studied with his father and was then a pupil of Jan Brueghel the Elder.

Lucas possibly travelled to France at a young age. His younger brother, Cornelis de Wael (1592–1672), accompanied him when he travelled to Italy where, after a brief period in Rome, they settled in Genoa.

Genoa was at the time an attractive destination for artists since the competition between artists there was less intense than in the leading cultural centres Rome, Florence and Venice, while Genoa was a thriving port city where a large number of potential patrons and collectors lived.

The workshop of the brothers de Wael in Genoa became the centre of the colony of Flemish artists who resided in or passed through the city. These Flemish artists could take advantage of the work and artistic activity that the workshop of de Wael brothers attracted. The brothers provided a home, materials and tools, they assisted their compatriots with their local integration, passed on recommendations to clients and formulated competition rules. When Anthony van Dyck visited Genoa, he stayed with the brothers and Cornelis was one of his closest collaborators in the city. Van Dyck painted a portrait of the brothers that was later engraved by Wenceslas Hollar. The brothers were also involved in trading activities with their hometown dealing in a wide variety of goods. Lucas returned to Antwerp in 1628 and played a major role in these business activities with his brother Cornelis who resided for the remainder of his life in Italy.