Franciscus de Neve (I)

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Franciscus de Neve I was a Flemish painter from Antwerp who lived from 1606 to 1681 or 1688. He painted history scenes, landscapes and portraits. He was born in Antwerp, the son of the sculptor Guilleaume de Neve and Maike (or Anna) Vermeuren. He was baptized on 11 June 1606 in the Cathedral of Our Lady. We do not know who trained him; he may have travelled to Rome between 1620 and 1630. He became a master of Antwerp's Guild of St Luke in 1629–1630. On 13 March 1630 he married Francisca Wortelmans, daughter of painter Adriaan Wortelmans. After 1640, there is little information about his life or work. His brothers were Cornelis (a sculptor) and Simon (a portrait painter). He was the father of Franciscus de Neve II, who also became a painter. Early biographers confused father and son and wrongly placed the father in Rome after 1660. Neve built his reputation in Antwerp with history paintings. It is unclear whether he worked on large Rubens studio commissions in the 1630s. Only a few works are attributed to him, but he did paint portraits. A monogrammed Portrait of a Man dated 1635 shows the influence of Rubens and Van Dyck.