Jacob van Utrecht


Jacob Claesz van Utrecht, also named by his signature Jacobus Traiectensis was a Flemish early Renaissance painter who worked in Antwerp and Lübeck.

Life

Few details are known of Jacob van Utrecht's life. Research on this artist did not start before the end of 19th century. He was probably born in Utrecht, although it is not certain. It is assumed that he became a citizen of Antwerp around 1500 and he is recorded as a "free master craftsman" of the Guild of St Luke there from 1506 to 1512.
From 1519 to 1525 he is recorded as a member of the Leonardsbruderschaft, a religious confraternity of merchants in Lübeck among whose ranks the leaders of the Protestant Reformation in the 1530s could be found.
From then on no traces of his life have been found.

Signature

In addition to Jacobus Traiectensis he also signed his artworks with his real surname Claesz / Claez.

Works