Catherine Thysmans alias Tishem (died 1595) was an erudite woman from Antwerp who educated her son, the celebrated scholar Jan Gruter, while in exile in England. She was the one woman in England under the bourgeoisie to be known as a classical scholar. [1]
The principal source for Catherine Tishem's life is a worshipful tribute to her son, Jan Gruter, written by one of his pupils, Balthasar Venator. [2] [3] According to Venator, Tishem was a remarkably erudite woman, fluent in Latin, Greek, French, Italian, and English and able to read Galen's original text.
In 1558 in Antwerp, Tishem married a widowed and wealthy merchant and juror, Wouter Gruter (also "Walterus", "de Gruytere", etc.), originally from Breda. They had four children, Jan being born in December 1560. [1] Her husband co-signed the Compromise of Nobles in 1566, [4] and to flee prosecution in the Spanish Netherlands, they moved to the Dutch Calvinist exile community of Norwich. Some biographies of Jan Gruter claim that Tishem was originally from Norwich herself, [4] [5] though Thijsmans/Thysmans was a regular Flemish patronymic. When their son enrolled at the new Leiden University in Holland in 1578/1579, Catherine and Wouter returned to Antwerp, but the Siege of Antwerp in 1584 made them flee again, this time to Lübeck and then Gdańsk. [5] Wouter Gruter died in Gdańsk in 1588, [5] and, according to Peter Fuchs, Catherine died in 1595. [4]
1584 (MDLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar and a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar, the 1584th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 584th year of the 2nd millennium, the 84th year of the 16th century, and the 5th year of the 1580s decade. As of the start of 1584, the Gregorian calendar was 10 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.
Abraham Ortelius was a cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer from Antwerp in the Spanish Netherlands. He is recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. Along with Gemma Frisius and Gerardus Mercator, Ortelius is generally considered one of the founders of the Netherlandish school of cartography and geography. He was a notable figure of this school in its golden age and an important geographer of Spain during the age of discovery. The publication of his atlas in 1570 is often considered as the official beginning of the Golden Age of Netherlandish cartography. He was the first person proposing that the continents were joined before drifting to their present positions.
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1528.
Jan Gruter or Gruytère, Latinized as Janus Gruterus, was a Flemish-born philologist, scholar, and librarian.
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp is a museum in Antwerp, Belgium, founded in 1810, that houses a collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings from the fourteenth to the twentieth centuries. This collection is representative of the artistic production and the taste of art enthusiasts in Antwerp, Belgium and the Northern and Southern Netherlands since the 15th century.
George Ballard was an English antiquary and biographer, the author of Memoirs of Several Ladies of Great Britain (1752).
Frans Wouters (1612–1659) was a Flemish Baroque painter who translated the monumental Baroque style of Peter Paul Rubens into the small context of cabinet paintings. He was a court painter to the Roman Emperor and the Prince of Wales and was active as an ambassador and art dealer.
Jan Thomas or Jan Thomas van Ieperen was a Flemish Baroque painter, draughtsman and printmaker. He was first active in Antwerp where he worked in the workshop of Rubens. He later became court painter at the Habsburg court in Vienna. He is known for his portraits of the rulers of Austria as well as for his pastoral, mythological and religious scenes.
John Cruso was a writer on military matters before the English Civil War, and a supporter of the Parliamentary
Sir Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens's highly charged compositions reference erudite aspects of classical and Christian history. His unique and immensely popular Baroque style emphasized movement, colour, and sensuality, which followed the immediate, dramatic artistic style promoted in the Counter-Reformation. Rubens was a painter producing altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects. He was also a prolific designer of cartoons for the Flemish tapestry workshops and of frontispieces for the publishers in Antwerp.
Wouter Deelen was a Dutch Anabaptist, Greek and Hebrew scholar, for a time librarian of Henry VIII, and then preacher at the Dutch church in London.
George Geldorp, Georg Geldorp or Jorge Geldorp was a Flemish painter who was mainly active in England where he was known for his portraits and history paintings. He was also active as an art dealer and impresario.
Balthasar Beschey was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and decorative painter of interiors. He started his career as landscape painter but later on switched to history and portrait painting. He played a prominent role in the development of the Academy of Arts in Antwerp and as a teacher.
Balthasar Paul Ommeganck (1755–1826) was a Flemish painter of landscapes and animals active in Antwerp. Through his work and his role as an art teacher and founder of art institutions he gave an important impetus to the revitalization of landscape painting in the Low Countries.
Paul Vredeman de Vries, was a Flemish painter and draughtsman who specialised in architectural paintings and, in particular, church interiors.
Jacob Andries Beschey was a Flemish painter and draughtsman who mainly painted religious paintings that were in the style of, or inspired by, Peter Paul Rubens.
Jan Rubens (1530–1587) was a Flemish magistrate of Antwerp, best known today as the father of Peter Paul Rubens.
Balthasar (Baltazar) van der Veen was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. He was a son of Balthasar van der Veen, a merchant from Antwerp This merchant was the brother of Walewijn van der Veen the Notary Public in New Amsterdam and Jan van der Veen, the popular poet from the 1600s. Balthasar, the painter, is mentioned in Jan van der Veen's poem as his nephew. The poem was written for his wedding with Grietje Schaaps, page 319
Jacob Balthasar Peeters, also known as Jacob Peeters or Jacobus Peeters was a Flemish painter who specialized in architectural paintings depicting imaginary Renaissance and Baroque palaces populated with elegant figures wearing exotic clothes and headgear and shown in theatrical, stage-like postures. Peeters also painted realistic interiors of existing churches with staffage.
Anna Goos (1627–1691), was a printer and co-manager of Officina Plantiniana in Antwerp from 1674 to 1681. She prepared her son, Balthasar II Moretus, to run the business, during political and financially turbulent times, such as during the Franco-Dutch War (1672–1678) and the financial collapse in Spain that affected their largest client, the Hieronymite Fathers of San Lorenzo in Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Her leadership helped prevent the business from closing down during these times.