Background
Hans Witdoeck broke the three-year training contract with Vorsterman after only two years at the instigation of his father.
Hans Witdoeck broke the three-year training contract with Vorsterman after only two years at the instigation of his father.
He belonged to the last generation of reproductive engravers who worked for Rubens" workshop from the mid 1630s. Hans Witdoeck was a pupil of the engraver Lucas Vorsterman in the years 1630-1631. Vorsterman had joined Rubens" workshop around 1617 or 1618 and had established himself as Rubens" primary engraver since.
He then trained for two years with the painter Cornelis Schut who introduced him to painting.
He subsequently trained with Rubens where he learned the engraving of large plates. After the death of Rubens in 1640, Witdoeck worked mainly as an art dealer.
lieutenant is clear from the revision and production process of these prints that Rubens was closely involved in their design and execution. This is documented by the process of the creation of a series of twelve plates after antique marble portrait sculptures (heads, busts, herms) by the four printmakers Hans Witdoeck, Paulus Pontius, Lucas Vorsterman, and Boetius à Bolswert working for Rubens.
The production of the prints was closely supervised by Rubens as is demonstrated by five retouched proof impressions.
Only six of Rubens" preparatory drawings for the series have survived. Witdoeck showed in his prints after Rubens a great skill in capturing the movement and variety of colour in the original works through his clever use of black, grey and white tones. A typical example is Abraham and Melchizedek.