Cornelius Norbertus Gijsbrechts
Master of trompe-l'œil illusions
Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts or Gysbrechts was a Flemish painter working in Belgium, Germany, Denmark and Sweden in the second half of the seventeenth century. He specialised in trompe-l'œil, an artistic genre aiming to trick contemporary viewers into believing that the painted, two-dimensional illusions were real three-dimensional objects. It is not known with certainty where and when Gijsbrechts was born, and his activities in the last years of his life are also undocumented, just as his name is not mentioned in the contemporary art historical literature. His oldest known painting is dated 1657. He was probably in Germany in the early 1660s, among other places in Regensburg, where he might have been in Emperor Leopold I’s service, but this is not known for a fact. Around 1664/1665, it is presumed that Gijsbrechts went to Hamburg where he stayed for a few years. Gijsbrechts came to Denmark at the latest in 1668, and here he was hired as court artist by the autocratic Danish king Frederik III from 1668–70, and hereafter by Christian V from 1670-72. He had his studio in The Royal Garden by Rosenborg Castle and from 1670 he called himself Court painter. In the period 1670–72 he received payment for several paintings, i.a. paintings for Rosenborg Castle. After having left Copenhagen, he is believed to have been in Stockholm, where in 1673 he painted a large letter rack commissioned by the bourgeoisie of the town. In 1675, he was once again in Germany and this is also the year in which his last known work was made. Hereafter, very little is known of his activities.
Artworks by this artist
- Trompe L’oeil. Board Partition With A Still Life Of Two Dead Birds Hanging On A Wall 1670 [-] 1674
- Trompe L’oeil. A Cabinet Of Curiosities With An Ivory Tankard 1670
- A trompe-l’oeil vanitas still life
- Trompe L’oeil With Dead Duck And Hunting Implements 1670 [-] 1674
- Trompe L’oeil With Studio Wall And Vanitas Still Life 1668
- Trompe L’oeil With Pistols 1672
- Trompe L’oeil With Falconer’s Bag And Other Equipment For Falconry 1671
- Trompe L’oeil. The Reverse Of A Framed Painting 1668 [-] 1672
- Trompe L’oeil With Trumpet, Celestial Globe And Proclamation By Frederik III 1670
- Trompe L’oeil Of A Letter Rack With Proclamation By Frederik III 1672
- Trompe L’oeil With Christian V’s Equipment For Riding To Hounds 1671
- Trompe l’oeil of an open cupboard with precious vessels 1665-1670
- Trompe L’oeil. Letter Rack With A Barber-Surgeon’s Instruments 1668
- Silverware in an Open Cabinet
- Trompe L’oeil. A Cabinet In The Artist’s Studio 1670 [-] 1671
- Trompe L’oeil Of A Letter Rack With Christian V’s Proclamation 1671
- Board Partition With Musical Instruments. Trompe L’oeil 1672
- Cut-Out Trompe L’oeil Easel With Fruit Piece 1670 [-] 1672
- Trompe L’oeil With Riding Whip And Letter Bag 1672
- Trompe-l’oeil; Letter Rack with a Pocket Violin and a Pistol 1664