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Willigen, Adriaan, van der, Pz. (1810-1876)

    Full Name: Willigen, Adriaan, van der, Pz.

    Other Names:

    • Adriaan van der Willigen, Pz.

    Gender: male

    Date Born: 20 September 1810

    Date Died: 22 August 1876

    Place Born: Hillegom, South Holland Netherlands

    Place Died: Rhedersteeg, Gelderland, Netherlands

    Home Country/ies: Netherlands

    Subject Area(s): Dutch (culture or style)

    Career(s): physicians


    Overview

    Early documents-style scholar of Dutch art, Medical Doctor. His work was succeeded by Frederik D. O. Obreen and Abraham Bredius. Van der Willigen was the son of the protestant minister (preacher) Pieter van der Willigen (1778-1847) and Christina Abigaël van Campen (d. 1827). After his studies in Medicine he settled in Haarlem as a Medical Doctor. From his uncle, Adriaan van der Willigen (1766-1841), he inherited an important art collection and library. Like his uncle, he was a lover of art and art history. In 1845 he married Geertruyda Aletta van Voorthuysen. Van der Willigen had a special interest in the lives of painters and other artists, who had been active in Haarlem from the fifteenth century up to the present. He searched various archives, including those of the Haarlem St. Lucas Guild. He published his notes on Haarlem painters and other artists in 1866, Geschiedkundige aanteekeningen over Haarlemsche schilders en andere beoefenaren van de beeldende kunsten, voorafgegaan door eene korte geschiedenis van het Schilders- of St. Lucas gild aldaar. In 1870 a French translation appeared. In 1872, being in poor health, he retired in Rhedersteeg. In the last years of his life he sold his art collection and his library. With the publication of his notes Van der Willigen intended to correct or to complete the biographies of Haarlem artists existing in compilations, like those written by Karel Van Mander, Arnold Houbraken, and Christiaan Kramm.


    Selected Bibliography

    “Nader berigt wegens A. van der Willigen en zijne geschriften” Kunst en Letterbode (1841); Geschiedkundige aanteekeningen over Haarlemsche schilders en andere beoefenaren van de beeldende kunsten, voorafgegaan door eene korte geschiedenis van het Schilders- of St. Lucas gild aldaar. Haarlem: De Erven F. Bohn, 1866, French: Les artistes de Harlem. Notices historiques avec un Précis sur la Gilde de St. Luc. Harlem: Les héritiers F. Bohn, 1870; Naamlijst van Nederlandsche kunst-catalogi, veelal met derzelver prijzen en namen, van af 1731-1861, welke de verzameling uitmaken van Dr. A. van der Willigen. Haarlem: De Erven Loosjes, 1873.


    Sources

    “Abraham Bredius, A Biography.” Museum Bredius (website) http://www.museumbredius.nl/biography.htm; Van der AA, A. J. Biografisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden. 7 (1852): 89; Hoogeveen “Willigen (Adriaan van der) Pzn.” in Blok, P. J. and Molhuysen, P. C. Nieuw Nederlandsch biografisch woordenboek. 10 (1937): 1217-1218; Vosmaer, C. “Dr. A. Van der Willigen” in De Nederlandse Spectator (1876): 309.



    Contributors: Monique Daniels


    Citation

    Monique Daniels. "Willigen, Adriaan, van der, Pz. (1810-1876)." Dictionary of Art Historians (website). https://arthistorians.info/willigena/.


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