Ambrosius Francken I

Ambrosius Francken I was born in Herentals, the son of painter Nicolaes Francken and Lucia van den Broeck. Ambrosius lived in a very turbulent time due to the conflict between Calvinists and Catholics in the Low Countries. In 1566, Calvinist iconoclasts had destroyed many artworks in the churches of Antwerp and other Flemish cities. There was much work for artists in Tournai as it had also been ravaged by the Calvinist fury against artworks. He married in the same year 50 year old Barbara Reyns, the widow of Peeter de Bruyne with whom she already had two children. His wife was 30 years older than him and had inherited her husband's stone trading business. Francken and his wife continued the stone trading business, which was very lucrative as many buildins in Antwerp needed repairs after the damage caused by the troubles in the preceding years. It is unclear whether Ambrosius converted to Calvinism himself. He was elected dean of the Guild in 1582. After the death of his wife in July 1582 he was no longer involved in the stone trading business as this was inherited by his wife's children from her first marriage. He married on 11 April a second time to Clara Pickarts, who was the widow of a hosemaker. He also took in the two children of his deceased brother Cornelis. Ambrosius Francken and Marten de Vos were also chosen as the chief designers of the decorations for the 1594 Joyous Entry into Antwerp of the newly appointed governor of the Southern Netherlands, Archduke Ernest of Austria. He was the teacher of Hieronymus Francken II, the son of his brother Frans Francken I, Hans Fonck, Dierick Mosel, Frans Marselaer, in 1605 of his nephew Hieronymys Francken II (Rombouts/Van Lerius 1872/1961). He died in Antwerp, probably on 16 October 1618. ==Work==

Ambrosius Francken I is known for religious works and historical allegories. He made large altarpieces for churches in Antwerp that replaced the many artworks that had disappeared during the iconoclastic fervour of the Beeldenstorm a few decades before. His compositions depicting muscular figures based on classical prototypes exercised an important influence on contemporary artists. One of the wings of the triptych depicts the miracles of the Saints Cosmas and Damian. The saints' most famous miraculous exploit was the grafting of a leg from a recently deceased Ethiopian to replace a patient's ulcered or cancerous leg. Unlike earlier representations of the subject which accentuate the role of the divine by including angels, a halo around the saints' heads and the role of the peaceful sleep of the patient receiving the transplant, Ambrosius' composition dwells more on the technique of the amputation and also shows the patient as a normal person whose face is distorted in pain. The saints have no nimbus and do not have help of angels. They use their own hands and their instruments are lying on the floor and are clearly recognizable. The depiction is more naturalistic than the earlier representations as it discounts the miraculous and makes the technical procedure take centre stage. During his Calvinist period (roughly 1579 to 1585) Ambrosius was responsible for a set of engravings called The Fate of Mankind that strongly criticised, even ridiculed, the Catholic clergy. Very few of his drawings have survived. Some drawings of scenes from the commedia dell’arte (including a drawing at the Amsterdam Museum) that are ascribed to Ambrosius I are interesting and show commedia dell'arte performances that he may have seen while residing in Fontainebleau in the 1570s. It is possible the drawing was initially planned for a print project which eventually was not realized. He also provided designs for print projects in Antwerp including for a picture bible published in Antwerp between 1579 and 1585. In 1578 he designed a series on the theme of The Fate of Man, which comprised three prints: Vanitas, Casus Hominis, and Exitatio Hominis. In the same year he made the designs for a series of the Eight Virtues. ==References==