Pictura Society

The Confrerie Pictura was a more or less academic club of artists founded in 1656 in The Hague, (The Netherlands) by local art painters, who were unsatisfied by the Guild of Saint Luke there.

The guild of St. Luke in the Hague existed already in the 15th century and like most large Dutch cities, it catered not just to painters, but were united also with glaziers, engravers, sculptors, goldsmiths, printers and book sellers. In those days guilds were represented in churches with their own altars, and in the case of the painters' guild, they were sponsored by the church, and sometimes even ensured an income for church fathers through donations to the St. Luke's altar. After the Protestant Reformation, this all changed, and the churches were no longer a part of guild life. With the altarpieces gone that had traditionally been the public signboard for the artists, a new venue was necessary for sales. In addition, with the influx of talented painters from the Southern Netherlands cities such as Antwerp, the guild fathers felt that more protective measures were necessary. When securing a new protective charter for the St. Luke's guild failed to have the desired effect, the Confrerie Pictura was set up by 48 dissatisfied painters. They were led by the first deacon and popular Hague portrait painter Adriaen Hanneman.

Among the founders were Willem Doudijns (1630–1697), Jacob van der Does (1623–1673), Jan de Bisschop (1628–1671), Theodor van der Schuer, Dirck van der Lisse, Daniel Mijtens the Younger, Johannes Mytens, Willem van Diest, Adriaen van de Venne, Robbert Duval, Joris van der Haagen and Augustinus Terwesten.

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