He was the son of Franciscus Donatus Witdoeck (1766–1834), a painter and professor of architecture at the
Royal Academy, who gave him his first lessons. Later, he studied with
Ferdinand de Braekeleer and
Mathieu-Ignace Van Brée. One of his ancestors,
Hans Witdoeck, was a student of
Peter Paul Rubens. In 1824, he accompanied Colonel on a scientific expedition sponsored by King
William I of the Netherlands. They visited Algeria, Greece, Egypt and India; returning in 1827 through Italy. He brought back numerous sketches of architecture and antiquities, notably from the island of
Rhodes. They were published by Colonel Rottiers in 1830. After that, he taught architecture, painting and design at the
Jesuit college in
Brugelette, in the province of
Hainaut. This was followed by an appointment as the City Architect of
Turnhout, where he also founded and directed a design academy. He married Marie-Antoinette van Haesendonck and they had twelve children; several of whom became painters, but of no particular note. His daughter, Marie-Thérèse, married Colonel , a colonial administrator. He was especially interested in religious and historical subjects. Many of his works are devoted to the history of the
Spanish Netherlands. A large collection of his works may be seen at the
Broel Museum in
Courtrai. The contains a notable representation of the
Last Supper, dating from 1843, which is integrated into the altar. == Sources ==