Daniel Soreau

Scene of Cimon and Pero in prison, engraving after Daniel Soreau

Daniel Soreau (c.1554 – 28 March 1619) was a wool trader and still life painter from the Southern Netherlands who was active in Frankfurt.

Biography

Soreau was born in Tournai in 1554. He became a citizen of Frankfurt in 1586. He married Johanna Flamen. He inherited a wool trading company from his father Johann Soreau. He ran this company together with his brother Simon Soreau and his brother-in-law Stefan van Ninhoven, but could not prevent its bankruptcy in 1601. At times, the company had controlled the entire wool trade of Hesse and Wetterau.[1]

The painter and biographer Joachim von Sandrart wrote in his Teutsche Academie that Soreau became a painter at a more advanced age than usual.[2] His pupils were his twin sons Isaak and Pieter, Francesco Codino, Sebastian Stoskopff and Joachim von Sandrart. Soreau died only a year after Sandrart became his pupil in 1618.[3]

After Soreau died at Frankfurt, his workshop was taken over by Stoskopff, who had been his pupil from 1615.[3]

Work

Sandrart stated that Soreau was good at painting "stillstehenden Sachen" (stationary subjects, probably meaning still lifes).[2] No paintings by Soreau are known to date. However, there are engravings after Soreau by Johann Jenet, which are of subjects other than still lifes. A still life with a fruit basket has been attributed to him a few times, but without sufficient documentation. It is now believed to be by Jacob van Hulsdonck, who influenced Isaak Soreau.

References

  1. ^ Gerhard Bott: Der Stillebenmaler Daniel Soreau und seine Schule in: Kurt Wettengl: Georg Flegel (1566 - 1638), Stilleben : [Publikation zur Ausstellung "Georg Flegel (1566 - 1638), Stilleben" des Historischen Museums Frankfurt am Main in Zusammenarbeit mit der Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt vom 18. Dezember bis 13. Februar 1994]. Hatje, Stuttgart 1993, p. 113
  2. ^ a b Daniel Soreau in Sandrart's Teutsche Academie
  3. ^ a b Daniel Soreau in the RKD