Background
Janssens was born in Brussels as the son of a tailor.
Janssens was born in Brussels as the son of a tailor.
He studied design and was entered as a pupil in the register of the Brussels Guild of Saint Luke in 1675.
He left at some point for Italy. Estimates for the length of his residency in Italy vary from roughly 1680 to 1688 and 1678 to 1689. Upon his return to Brussels he became a master of the Guild.
The next year he applied for permission to work as a cartoon painter for the Brussels tapistry works.
Following the 1695 Bombardment of Brussels by the French, Janssens was commissioned to produce a number of paintings for the Brussels Town Hall to replace those destroyed during the attack on the city. He also worked for the local guilds and churches.
He gained a solid reputation and became well-official He was appointed the court painter of Emperor Charles VI of Austria and resided in Vienna from 1719 to 1722.
The artist died in Brussels on 14 August 1736.
