Willem van Honthorst

Willem van Honthorst (* 1594 in Utrecht, † February 19, 1666, ibid ) was a Dutch painter. He was brother of Gerrit van Honthorst.

Life

Like his brother, Willem van Honthorst was also a pupil of Abraham Bloemaert and his father, who was a decorator. Likewise, Willem has learned much from his older brother. 1643 married Willem in Den Haag his wife Sophia, where he lived for several years.

In 1646 he went to Berlin, where he became court painter at the electoral court of Frederick William of Brandenburg and his wife Louise Henriette of Orange, daughter of the Dutch Stadtholder Frederick Henry of Orange and Amalia of Solms- Braunfels. Seventeen years he remained in Berlin until 1664 and returned back to Utrecht, where he died in 1666.

The painting styles of the two Honthorst brothers are very similar, so that partial images Willems were assigned to his older brother Gerrit, also because of the similarity of the signatures. On closer inspection, however, it should be noted that Willems images are somewhat smoother and more harmonious in execution.