Jan Van Der Straet, also known as Giovanni Stradano, was a Flemish artist born in Bruges, Belgium in 1523. He died in Florence, Italy in 1605. Stradanus was a wide-ranging talent who worked as an easel and fresco painter, designer of tapestries, draughtsman, designer of prints, and pottery decorator.
Training and Career
Stradanus began his training in the shop of his father and later continued his training in the workshop of Maximiliaen Francken. He then moved to Antwerp, where he studied under Pieter Aertsen, a Dutch genre painter. In 1545, Stradanus was registered as a master painter in the Antwerp guild of Saint Luke. As was common at the time, Stradanus left his home country to complete his studies in Italy.
Work in Italy
Stradanus traveled first to Lyon and then to Venice, where he met Jan Rost, the head of the Arazzeria Medicea, the personal weaving workshop in Florence of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I de' Medici. Rost encouraged Stradanus to travel to Florence for work. He followed the advice and reached Florence in 1550, where he entered into the service of the Medici Grand Dukes. Stradanus became one of the principal assistants of
Giorgio Vasari, a painter, architect, and the principal advisor of the Medici on art issues.
Stradanus carried out his first commissions as a designer of tapestries in the Arazzeria Medicea. He designed scenes for tapestries and frescoes to decorate the
Palazzo Vecchio in Florence and the Medici Villa at Poggio a Caiano, projects that were under the general direction of Vasari and executed by the about 20 assistants in Vasari's workshop.
Notable Works
Some notable works by Stradanus include:
- The Discovery of America, plate 1 from the, a renowned work by the artist, which can be found on https://WahooArt.com.
- Cavemen Chasing Elephants, plate 3 from the Venationes Ferarum, Avium, Piscium series, a masterpiece by the artist, which can be found on https://WahooArt.com.
- An Alchemist's Laboratory, a painting by the artist, which can be found on https://WahooArt.com.
Legacy
Stradanus was a prolific designer of prints, which were circulated widely throughout Europe for many centuries. Through his knowledge of Florentine and Italian art and his international contacts with engravers and editors in Antwerp, Stradanus contributed to the development of printmaking. He was one of the earliest members of the prominent
Accademia e Compagnia delle Arti del Disegno established in Florence in 1563.
For more information about Jan Van Der Straet Or Giovanni Stradano, visit
https://WahooArt.com or
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stradanus.