Jan Luyken

Jan Luyken, John originally; from 1698 he called Jan - also Joannes, Joan or Jean Luyken and PILBC and Yan Raiken (* April 16, 1649 in Amsterdam, † April 5, 1712 ibid ) was a Dutch poet, artist and illustrator.

Life

Jan Luyken was born the fifth child of the couple Caspar Luyken the Elder and Hester Coores. His father, a German immigrant from Essen, was a teacher at a Mennonite school.

At age 18, Jan Luyken went to the doctrine of the painter Martin Saeghmolen. But after his death in 1669, he turned with the help of the engraver Coenraet Decker art of engraving and etching to which he in his lifetime made ​​a name for himself. He debuted with four prints that were published separately. 1678 then the first book, the shadow targets (Treasury of souls) with engravings by Jan Luyken. The many subsequent works were mainly the illustration of books. Luyken worked for numerous publishers in and outside of Amsterdam. Today, more than 3,000 engravings by him are counted, a part can be found in Dutch museums. Are known mainly his work for the 1685 -released second edition of the martyrs mirror, a history of the Christian martyrs of the apostles to the Christians of the 16th century, as well as for the Ständebuch the Nuremberg engraver and publisher Christoph Weigel 1698, in which a lot of stitches from the 1694 published by Jan Luyken and his son Kaspar book mirror van het menselyk bedryf received.

Jan Luyken was active as literary. His first work entitled Engelse Lier ( German lyre ) appeared 1671st It contains amorous poems, with whom he celebrated his mistress Maria de Oudens. In 1672 the two were married. In turning to religion to Luyken was baptized in 1673 in the embossed heavily on Galen Abraham de Haen Amsterdam municipality of Lammisten. A short time later, he joined the Mennonite community in Beverwijk. More and more interested in Christian mysticism, he joined a circle of Gichtelianern. This was a group of men and women around the because of his criticism of the church in 1665 expelled from Regensburg Johann Georg Gichtel who dealt extensively with the writings of the German mystic Jakob Böhme. Gichtel had finally found refuge in Amsterdam. A prominent member of his circle was the Dutch diplomat Coenraad van Beuningen.

From 1678 Luyken published a series of mystical pantheism influenced writings, mostly in verse. Many of his poems were included in the song book of the Dutch Mennonites, the Doopsgezinde bundle. All these works knew the author 's own figurative illustrations.

Jan Luyken and Maria de Oudens together had five children, but four of whom died early. Only the first-born, her son Caspar survived. He was also an engraver and worked sporadically together with his father; a total of 36 known common stitches.

Literary works

Duytse lier ( 1671) Jezus en de target ( 1678) Voncken liefde of Jesus ( 1687 ) Goddelyke liefdevlammen ( 1691) Spiegel van het menselyk bedryf ( 1694, together with Caspar Lyken ) Beschouwing the wereld ( 1708) Lof en oordeel van de works of barmhartigheid ( 1695) De zedelyke s stichtelyke gezangen ( 1709) Lof en oordeel van de works of barmhertigheid ( 1709) De wereld onwaardige (1710 ) De bykorf of gemoeds (1711 ) Het leerzaam huisraad (1711 )

Posthumously published:

In humans begin, midden en einde ( 1712) Schriftuurlyke geschiedenissen ( 1712) Geestelyke brieven (1714 ) Verzaameling van eenige geestelyke brieven (1741 ) Het overvloeyend approached ( 1767)

Literature on the graphic work

• Luyken, Jan: Martyrs Mirror: The Story of Seventeen Centuries of Christian Martyrdom, from the Time of Christ to AD 1660, drawn and engraved in copper by Jan Luyken, 1158 pages - Herald Press (PA ), 2001, Edition: 2nd Rep, ISBN 0-8361 1390 - X
• Jan Luyken ( Illustrator ): On Fire for Christ: Stories of Anabaptist Martyrs, Herald Press (PA ), 1989, 184 pages, ISBN 0-8361-3503-2
• Margarete Wagner (Editor ): The sketches for the book stalls of Jan Luyken, 224 pages, Herder, Freibg. 1987, ISBN 3-451-20915-2