Nicolaes Van Verendael

1640-1691 Flemish

Flemish flower and vanitas painter

Nicolaes van Verendael or Nicolaes van Veerendael was a Flemish painter active in Antwerp who is mainly known for his flower paintings and vanitas still lifes. He was a frequent collaborator of other Antwerp artists to whose compositions he added the still life elements. He also painted a number of singeries, i.e, scenes with monkeys dressed and acting as humans. Nicolaes van Verendael was baptized in the St. Andrew's Church in Antwerp on 19 February 1640. He trained with his father Willem van Veerendael. He was not formally registered as a pupil at the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke but was admitted to the Guild as the son of a member in 1657. He married Catharina van Beveren, the 17-year old daughter of the prominent Antwerp sculptor Mattheus van Beveren. The couple has 11 children, one of whom was born after the death of the artist. Despite his high reputation among fellow artists, van Verendael was never out of financial trouble as he was a slow worker. As a result he lived modestly. He was the teacher of someone referred to as 'priest Cano' and the flower painter Jean Baptiste Morel.