United Under One Roof: Artist Painters and Coarse Painters and their Relations in Seventeenth-Century Leiden

摘要

pThe job titles kunstschilder (artist painter) and klad- or grofschilder (coarse painter)br /only came into regular use after 1640. In the first decades of the seventeenth century,br /anyone who painted for a living was simply referred to as a schilder (painter). Thisbr /article traces the way the division of the painter’s craft into two more or less separatebr /trades emerged, specifically for Leiden. The background against which this process isbr /considered is the genesis of Leiden’s Guild of St Luke. In the art historical literature, thebr /Guild of St Luke usually appears in its role as successful protector of the artist paintersbr /against the import of paintings from other towns and cities. In most studies, thebr /importance of the guild is measured in terms of the composition of the local holdingsbr /of paintings – the demand side of the art market. The difficult genesis of the Leidenbr /Guild of St Luke provides a good opportunity to consider the importance of this guildbr /from the supply side – the artists themselves./p.