Background
Hans von Aachen was born in Cologne in 1552. His surname is derived from the birthplace of his father, Aachen in Germany.
Hans von Aachen was born in Cologne in 1552. His surname is derived from the birthplace of his father, Aachen in Germany.
Hans von Aachen studied with the Flemish master E. Jerrigh and spent 14 years in Italy, during which he toured Rome and Florence and studied with the Italian Mannerist followers of Tintoretto and Michelangelo.
Hans von Aachen began painting in Germany and probably joined the Cologne painters' guild before leaving for Italy. Like so many artists of his time, Hans traveled to Italy to further his craft. Aachen's home was in Venice but between 1574 and 1588 he spent much of his time in Florence and Rome, where he became a member of the Netherlandish and German community of artists, printmakers, and art dealers. There he was most influenced by the style of Bartholomeus Spranger and Hendrick Goltzius. He was active as a copyist and worked in the workshop of the Flemish painter and art dealer Gaspar Rem who was a native of Antwerp.
Hans painted for the Court of the Duke of Bavaria in Munich while in Italy. He went to Rome in 1575. Here he studied the antique sculptures and the works of Italian masters. There he became a member of the circle of northern artists active in Rome such as Otto van Veen, Joris Hoefnagel, the brothers Paul and Matthijs Bril, Hans Speckaert and Joseph Heintz the Elder. He was able to secure a commission for a Nativity for the Church of the Gesù, the mother church of the Society of Jesus in Rome. In Florence in the years 1582 – 1583 he established a reputation for his portraits, which led to commissions from the ruling Medici family. In 1585 he again settled in Venice.
In 1588, Aachen returned to Germany. While he earned acclaim for historical and religious scenes, the German painter became most well-known for his portraits. He also worked in Munich, where he was commissioned to paint two altarpieces for the church of St Michael. Hans also painted several works for Duke William V of Bavaria. He painted portraits for a number of noble houses and it was most likely through these connections that he would meet his wife Regina, daughter of the composer Orlando di Lasso in Munich.
He was introduced to the Imperial Court in Prague and in 1592 was appointed the official painter of Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor. Hans von Aachen painted portraits and copied pictures the emperor liked. He also purchased paintings for the imperial collection. While one source stated he bought paintings for Rudolph, other accounts would indicate that Aachen, in the role of ambassador, coerced some art patrons that “gifts” be made of paintings the emperor desired.
Around the turn of the Century, Aachen moved to Prague where he was commissioned to paint mythological and allegorical subjects such as the "Liberation of Hungary." Hans Vredeman and Aachen collaborated in 1598 on the altar of Hradcany Castle's All Saints' Chapel – a work featuring Mary and Gabriel. The painter was knighted by Emperor Rudolph in 1605 and continued working under his successor Matthias I. Hans died in Prague in 1615. Today, Von Aachen’s works are in the collections of the National Gallery in London, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, among others.
David and Bathsheba
The judgment of Paris
Bacchus, Ceres and Amor
Allegorie on the battle of Gurăslău
Boy with grapes
Portrait of Anna of Austria (1585-1618)
Allegory on the battle of Sisak
Augustus and the Tiburtine Sibyl
Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, as King of Bohemia
Pan and Selene
Adonis held back by Venus while going hunting
Bacchus, Venus and Cupid
Matchmaking scene
Allegorie on the battle of Șelimbăr
The Three Graces
Portrait of Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
The liberation of Andromeda
Portrait of Jacopo Biliverti
Virgin and Child
Portrait of a man, possibly Johannes Kepler
Allegory on the declaration of war before Constantinople
Allegorie on the battle of Braşov
Portrait of Joseph Heintz
Coronation of Mary
Portrait of a girl (Maria Maxmiliana)
Hercules defeating the vices
Allegory of Peace, Art, and Abundance
The Amazement of the Gods
Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian
Mercury and Ceres flying through the air
Two laughing men (double self-portrait)
Couple with a mirror
Allegory or The Triumph of Justice
Allegory on the conquest of Stuhlweißenburg (Székesfehérvár)
The rape of Proserpine
Pallas Athena, Venus and Juno
A couple at a guesthouse
The fall of Phaëton
Self-portrait
Venus, Cupid and a satyr
Ecce Homo
The art of Hans von Aachen displays a unique mix of different stylistic traits of European painting at the time of the late Renaissance. His style combined an idealization indebted to Roman and Florentine Mannerism with brilliant Venetian color and Dutch realism.
Hans probably joined the Cologne painters' guild before leaving for Italy around 1574.
Hans married Regina, the daughter of the composer Orlando di Lasso in Munich.