Wallerant Vaillant

Key facts

Lived

1623–1677, Dutch

Movement

• Baroque

Works held in

15 museums^[1]

Plan your visit to see Wallerant Vaillant →

• What is Wallerant Vaillant known for?+

  Wallerant Vaillant is known for pioneering the mezzotint technique alongside Prince Rupert of the Rhine. He produced over two hundred mezzotint sheets from the mid-1660s, making him one of the earliest and most prolific practitioners of this technique.
• What is Wallerant Vaillant's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to identify one single work as Wallerant Vaillant's "most famous". He was a prolific portrait painter and printmaker, active in both France and the Dutch Republic. Vaillant is perhaps best known for his contributions to the development of the mezzotint technique. He is credited with creating over 200 mezzotints, many of which were portraits of prominent figures from the period. These prints helped to popularise the medium and spread his reputation across Europe. His painted portraits also gained recognition during his lifetime. He produced likenesses of individuals from various social strata, from members of the French and Dutch aristocracy to merchants and scholars. While no single painting eclipses all others in fame, his body of portraiture established him as a sought-after artist in his era.
• What should I know about Wallerant Vaillant's prints?+

  Wallerant Vaillant (1623-1677) was a painter of the Baroque era who became a printmaker, too. Born in Lille, he and his siblings all became painters. Wallerant specialised in portraiture; he is known for developing the mezzotint style, a printmaking method that creates tonal gradations through roughening the plate, then smoothing it for lighter areas. Vaillant's prints after portraits were popular, and he made likenesses of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, plus other members of European royal families. He lived and worked in Amsterdam for much of his career, and he travelled widely in France and Germany. His pupils included his brothers, as well as Bernard Vaillant, Jan van Somer, and Martinus Pool.
• What style or movement did Wallerant Vaillant belong to?+

  Wallerant Vaillant was active during the Baroque era, a period that began around 1600 and lasted until approximately the mid-18th century. The Baroque style originated in Italy, emerging from the late Renaissance. Some view it as a development of Renaissance style; others see it as a separate entity. The Baroque moved away from the strict principles of classical antiquity. Distinctions between the Renaissance and the Baroque can be unclear, as the two styles merge. The Baroque cannot be confined to a specific timeline or location. The term "Baroque" is most applicable to architecture and sculpture. During the Baroque era, the international exchange of ideas was intense. Printed reproductions assisted the spread of pictorial inventions; for example, Rubens employed engraving studios to disseminate his compositions. Many painters explored printing, creating independent pictorial works and new techniques like mezzotint and aquatint. This internationalisation led to the articulation of national schools, giving artists a range of choices.
• What techniques or materials did Wallerant Vaillant use?+

  Wallerant Vaillant was a painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. He is mainly known as one of the first artists to use the mezzotint technique. Mezzotint is a printmaking process that relies on preparing a copper plate by uniformly roughening it, using a tool called a rocker. If printed at this stage, the plate would produce a solid black tone. The artist then smooths or scrapes areas of the plate to varying degrees; the smoother the area, the less ink it holds, resulting in lighter tones in the final print. Mezzotint allows for rich tonal gradations and is particularly suited to reproducing paintings. Vaillant's skill in portraiture was highly regarded, and he produced numerous mezzotints of prominent figures, as well as genre scenes and allegorical subjects.
• What was Wallerant Vaillant known for?+

  Wallerant Vaillant (1623-1677) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Born in Lille, he later moved to Amsterdam. Vaillant is considered one of the first artists to master the mezzotint technique, a printmaking process that creates tones through subtle gradations of light and shadow. Vaillant travelled widely, working in various European cities. His career included time spent at the court of Sweden, where he worked as a portrait painter. He produced numerous portraits of prominent figures, including members of the French royal family and other European nobility. These works contributed significantly to his reputation. Vaillant's prints after his own designs, and those of other artists, helped to disseminate his style and the mezzotint method throughout Europe.
• When did Wallerant Vaillant live and work?+

  Wallerant Vaillant was born in Lille, France, in 1623 and died in Amsterdam in 1677. Vaillant was a painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. He is known for portraiture and genre scenes. He travelled widely during his career, working in various European centres. His family, originally from Lille, relocated to Amsterdam around 1643. Before settling in Amsterdam, Vaillant spent time in Middelburg, where he was a pupil of Erasmus Quellinus. Around 1658, he lived and worked in Frankfurt. He received commissions to paint the portrait of Emperor Leopold I, and he also portrayed other members of the imperial family. These works led to his being admitted to the Frankfurt Academy. By 1665, Vaillant had returned to Amsterdam, where he remained for the rest of his life. He is believed to have introduced the practice of mezzotint engraving to the Netherlands. He produced numerous portraits, as well as teaching his half-brothers, Jan and Andreas, the art of painting.
• Where can I see Wallerant Vaillant's work?+

  Wallerant Vaillant's artwork can be viewed in several museums. In Belgium, his work is held at the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, located in Brussels. In France, Vaillant's pieces are exhibited at the Musée du Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, both located in Paris; the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nantes; and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon. Other French museums that hold his work include the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen; the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lille; and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Besançon. Outside of Europe, Vaillant's art can be found at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. These institutions provide opportunities to experience Vaillant's artistic contributions.
• Where was Wallerant Vaillant from?+

  Wallerant Vaillant was from the Low Countries, which comprised modern-day Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Many artists and merchants of the period moved between cities in the Low Countries, France, and England, so Vaillant's place of birth does not fully define his artistic identity. For example, Balthasar Gerrits, the father of Vermeer's mother, was born in Antwerp around 1573. At the time, Antwerp was under siege; citizens had to submit to Spanish-Catholic rule or leave. When he was old enough, Gerrits chose exile. He married Beatrix van Buy in Antwerp in January 1596. Soon after, Balthasar and his wife moved, as their son Reynier was born in Amsterdam a few years later.
• Who did Wallerant Vaillant influence?+

  Wallerant Vaillant was a painter of the Baroque era, active in the mid-17th century. While information on his direct influence is limited in the provided texts, we can infer some connections through the artistic environment of his time. The passages discuss artists such as Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), who, despite guarding his methods, influenced French art. François Boucher was influenced by Watteau's handling of form, particularly through engravings and etchings published by Jean de Jullienne. Jacob de Wit (1695-1754), a Dutch painter, was influenced by Peter Paul Rubens. Vaillant's period overlaps with Rubens, and his work in portraiture and printmaking would have contributed to the artistic discourse of the time. The movement of artists and styles across Europe meant that artistic ideas were shared and adapted. Without specific mentions of Vaillant's direct students or followers in these passages, it is difficult to make definitive claims about his specific influence.
• Who influenced Wallerant Vaillant?+

  It is difficult to isolate specific influences on Wallerant Vaillant, but several artists and movements of the period can be identified. Vieira da Silva, a key figure of the École de Paris, initially trained as a sculptor before turning to painting. Her early work with Orthon Friesz and Léger placed her among avant-garde painters. She also drew inspiration from Bonnard, late medieval Sienese masters, and Cubists. Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun received early training from her pastel-painter father. She also learned from Doyen, Vernet, Davesne, and Briard, and copied Dutch art. Her emotional portraits of women and children, though sometimes criticised as sentimental, were representative of an international style. Maurice de Vlaminck, after seeing a van Gogh exhibition in 1901, began painting with Derain in Chatou. He used violent brushstrokes and unmixed colours, surpassing other Fauves in boldness. Later, he drew inspiration from Cézanne and the Cubists before adopting a "romantic realism" similar to Derain.
• Who was Wallerant Vaillant?+

  Wallerant Vaillant (1623-1677) was a painter of the Baroque period, born in Lille. Vaillant's family became established as painters: his brothers, Jean, Jacques and Bernard, also became painters. Vaillant is said to have studied under Erasmus Quellinus in Antwerp. By 1643, he was living in Amsterdam. Around 1658, he worked for the Elector Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg in Berlin. He was in Paris in 1664, then returned to Amsterdam by 1665. Vaillant is credited as the first artist to use the mezzotint technique. This tonal method of printmaking uses a tool to create many tiny dots on the plate, allowing for a wide range of tones in the final print. He produced many portraits using this method, including ones of Rembrandt, himself, and other contemporary figures.