Geertgen tot Sint Jans was a 15th century Dutch painter active in Haarlem (1460/1465 - before 1495). His name means "little Gerard of the order of St. John".
Geertgen tot Sint Jans reached a personal style at early age. It has been recorded that Albrecht Dürer said of Geertgen "Truly he was a painter in his mother's womb".
His paintings can be seen in Vienna (Kunsthistorisches Museum) and Berlin (Gemäldegalerie).
One of his most famous paintings is Geschiedenis van het gebeente (beenderen) van Johannes de Doper, or, The Legend of the Relics of St. John the Baptist. It was part of a larger triptych for an altar of the Knights of St. John at Haarlem. It was destroyed during the siege of Haarlem in 1573, but parts were saved.
In total only twelve works of Geertgen survived. Other titles ascribed to him are:
- The Holy Kinship (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam)
- Adoration of the Kings (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam)
- Lamentation over the Dead Christ
- The Raising of Lazarus (Louvre)
- Adoration of the Magi (the wise men from the east) (National Gallery, Prague)
- Nativity, at Night (National Gallery, London)
- John the Baptist in the Wilderness (Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Staatliche Museen, Berlin)
- Vir Dolorum (Aartsbisschoppelijke Musea, Utrecht)
- Virgin and Child (Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam)
External links
Information on Geertgen tot Sint Jans from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
