Franciscus Vermeer was one of the eleven childs of the noted dutch painter of the 17th Century, Johannes Vermeer. Franciscus is known to the world because of his father’s contribution in the field of art and painting.
Franciscus Vermeer’s Childhood & Family
Franciscus Vermeer was born to the famous painter of his time who is still regarded among the best painters of the world, Johannes Vermeer. Johannes Vermeer was born to Reynier Jansz, a prominent art dealer along with being a weaver and a follower of Protestant faith. The family was prosperous in terms of personal wealth and profession.
After Johannes’s father’s death, he inherited a mansion and also his art business. He however, till that time was sure of the career path he wanted to choose; painting. Johannes married a young catholic woman, Catherina Bolnes because of which he also had to convert from Protestant faith to Catholicism. After their marriage, they moved to live with Catherina’s mother who happened to be a distant relative of the painter Abraham Bloemaert.
Franciscus Vermeer’s Career
Franciscus is known to have been trained as a surgeon in Charlois, a town close to Rotterdam, before relocating to The Hague. His father’s Johannes’ interest in painting is known to many but not everyone is aware of his learning experience. Many believe his travel to Italy, France, Amsterdam, Netherlands expanded his learning experiences.
In Vermeer’s early large-scale biblical and mythological works, such as Diana and Her Nymphs and Christ in the House of Mary and Martha, stylistic elements of both visual traditions of the Utrecht school and that of Rembrandt can be discovered. The Procuress by Vermeer exhibits the most stunning blending of the two traditions. Vermeer remained fundamentally a history painter, attempting to express lofty moral and philosophical notions, even while his inspiration for such mature work came from his perceptions of daily life.
Regardless of the conditions surrounding his early creative training, Vermeer started painting images from everyday life in the later part of his lifes. He is most frequently associated with these types of paintings.Vermeer rose to the pinnacle of his talent, gained notoriety in his hometown of Delft, and in 1662 was appointed head of the painters’ guild.
Franciscus Vermeer’s Net Worth
Franciscus’s net worth is not known to the public neither of Johannes. Although Vermeer’s paintings have never been the subject of commissions, it does seem that throughout earlier eras he sold his work primarily to a select group of Delft clientele. In order to pay off rising debts following a financial collapse in 1672, he was compelled to auction off the majority of his material assets. In the decades following his death in 1675, he was all but lost by the art world.
