Willem van aelst biography of michael jackson

Golden Age painter from the Northern Netherlands (1627–1683)

Willem van Aelst (16 May 1627 – buried 22 May 1683)^[1] was a Dutch Golden Age artist who specialized in still-lifepainting with flowers or game.

Biography

Van Aelst was born in Delft to a family of prominent city magistrates. He learned to paint from his uncle, the still-life painter Evert van Aelst. On 9 November 1643 he enrolled as a master of the Guild of Saint Luke at Delft.

Between 1645 and 1649 he lived in France. In 1649 Van Aelst travelled to Florence, where he served as court painter to Ferdinando II de' Medici, grand duke of Tuscany.

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Here he was known as Guillielmo d'Olanda. At this time, the grand duke also employed two fellow Dutchmen Matthias Withoos and Otto Marseus van Schrieck, the latter also a still-life painter who probably influenced Van Aelst's style.

Ferdinando II publicly presented Van Aelst with a gold chain and medal, as a testimony of his approbation an