Cornelis van Spaendonck

CORNELIS VAN SPAENDONCK Tilburg 1756 - 1840 Paris Cornelis van Spaendonck was principally a flower painter, although he did occasionally paint portraits. He was one of the most important flower painters of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Cornelis was the brother of Gerard van Spaendonck (1746-1822), whom he emulated in his subjects and technique. Born at Tilburg in the Netherlands, he first studied with his elder brother, and then attended the Antwerp Academy, where he was taught by William Jacob Herreyns. He subsequently went to Mechelen where he became a member of the Artist’s Academy. Following in his brother’s footsteps, Cornelis went to Paris in 1806, where he became a designer for the Sèvres porcelain manufactures. He exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon and in 1789 was elected to the Académie Royale. The following year he was granted the honour of accommodation in the Louvre. Although he spent most of his career in Paris, Cornelis returned to Tilburg between 1818 and 1825. The work of Cornelis van Spaendonck is represented in many museums including the Broughton Collection at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; the Musée du Louvre, Paris and the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyons.