- NameFrans Luyckx
- Sexmale
- Nationality/DatesFlemish, born 1604, dead 1668
BiographyBetween 1617 and 1618 Frans Luyckx was a
pupil of Remakel Sina in Antwerp and from 1620 a
master in the city’s Guild of St. Luke. According to
Joachim Sandrart he then continued his studies in
Rubens’ studio. He left Antwerp for Rome in 1635
and there he was nicknamed Rinaldo by the society of
Dutch artists known as the Bentveughels. After his
stay in Rome Luyckx travelled on to Vienna. There
he was active as a court painter, first for Ferdinand III
in Vienna and Prague up until 1657 and then for
Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. He was ennobled for his
services as court painter, when he assumed the name
of Luycx von Luxenstein. In 1652 he made a brief
journey to Antwerp. Luyckx mainly painted portraits
but also produced allegorical works and history paintings.
As court painter he spent some time working in
Graz and Regensburg and he became a close friend of
the painter and art-dealer Michiel Musson from
Antwerp. His portraits are reminiscent in style of the
Spanish portrait tradition that was fashionable at the
time at the court of the Habsburgs. In 1647 he married
Leonora Clauwens. The engravers who based
their work on his portraits include Schelte Bolswert,
Paulus Pontius, Frans van der Steen, Jonas Suyderhof
and Elias Widemann.