Haarlem Guild of St. Luke

. During the lifetime of Geertgen tot Sint Jans, there was probably a painter's guild in Haarlem, but all records of such an organization have been lost. If one existed, it would probably have been associated with the Janskerk (Haarlem), where Geertgen was active as a respected painter. The earliest mention of the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke is from 1496, when the heirs of Joost Huge Alboutsdr, who had been the former owner of the location of the altar in the Sint-Bavokerk, ceded all altar rights which up to then had been for the Ascension of the Virgin, to the Guild of St. Luke and St. Eligius. This is possibly also the year that the Guild switched its altar from the Janskerk to the Bavokerk. The guild was for painters and gold- and silversmiths, with St. Luke being the patron saint of the painters, and St. Eligius being the patron saint for the smiths. Earliest charter The earliest charter for the guild no longer exists, but the earliest one still in the archives is from 1514. That charter remained in effect until the beeldenstorm, whereupon the guild altar found temporary housing in the Vrouwenbroerskerk, since the Bavokerk had become Protestant and all the guilds had left the church. Heemskerk had painted this before he traveled to Italy, and when he came back he became charter master of the guild from 1550-1552. Apparently the smiths were dissatisfied with their representation in the running of the guild, and this caused a guild dispute, because the goldsmiths broke away into their own guild in 1576, only to return in the charter of 1590. Charter of 1590 After the Siege of Antwerp in 1585, many families fled north and since Antwerp was a major center for painting, the Haarlem market was flooded with professional painters who competed with Haarlem's own craftsmen. To protect the market, a new charter was issued in 1590. That this was necessary is evidenced by the fact that new charters were issued soon after the beeldenstorm in most Dutch cities that had converted to Protestantism and were embroiled in the Eighty Years' War. ==Some guild membership grants after the Reformation==

• 1593: Cornelis Engelsz, (father of Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck) • 1597: Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen Jan Matham (son of Jacob Matham), Jan Wils • 1645: Pieter Cornelisz Verbeeck • 1659: Josua de Grave • 1660: Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde, Isaak van Nickelen • 1661: Jan Steen, Cornelis Beelt Isaack Vermeer • 1662: Reyer van Blommendael • 1663: Edwaert Collier • 1664: Jacob Salomonsz van Ruysdael, Jan de Bray Thomas Heeremans • 1666: Pieter Fris • 1667: Jan de Bray • 1669: Jacob van Huchtenburg • 1670: Jan van Huchtenburg • 1671: Dirck de Bray • 1678: Dirk Maas • 1679: Cornelis Dusart • 1688: Jan van Nickelen • 1706: Frans Decker ==Loss of the St. Luke relic==

In 1517 a relic of St. Luke had been donated for the altar by the painter Barthel Pons, who had gotten it from the cardinal Christoforo da Forli (with the additional title S. Maria Aracoeli). This relic was accompanied by an indulgence of 100 days to whoever would say their Paternoster and Ava maria at the altar. Apparently Pieter Fransz de Grebber gave this relic to the Franciscan friar Joannes Cloribus van Brugge in 1627 for safekeeping. ==The failed Charter of 1631==

's proposed hierarchy of the guild in 1631. The immigration of Flemish painters after the fall of Antwerp in 1585 added a great deal to the painting community of Haarlem and artistically the city flourished, with an astounding production of oil paintings. Between 1605 and 1635 over 100,000 paintings were produced in Haarlem. The competition for commissions was very high, however, and the 1590 charter was apparently not considered protective enough. In 1631 a new charter was released again, and this charter is so detailed that it tells us much more about the art of painting and art dealing than it does about the artists themselves. It was prepared by Salomon de Bray, and he described a hierarchy of guild members that apparently met with a lot of opposition. His first petition to pass this charter was denied with the remark that it was too long, and the second attempt was not passed at all. ==Legacy==

painted himself second from the left. Unfortunately the Haarlem St Lucasgilde archives fell into disarray between the period that the guilds were dissolved in Haarlem (1795) and 1860. Through the years historians have attempted to make lists of archival records, using the personal archives of the de Bray family (most notably from Salomon de Bray in the 1630s) and the van der Vinne family (most notably Vincent Laurensz van der Vinne from the 1650s) and thanks mostly to the efforts of Adriaan van der Willigen Pz. in 1866 and 1870. A recent inventory by Hessel Miedema has helped to give insight into the remains, while the Haarlem archives have been able to buy back lost records from enthusiastic researchers of the 19th century who never returned borrowed materials. ==References==