Abstract

ABSTRACTThe author studies the role and the function of hidden self- portraits or ‘crypto-portraits’ in the oeuvres of two brothers, Hieronymus and Frans Francken I. Both of these painters were active from ca 1570 to ca 1610 and left multiple visual signatures in their altarpieces. The existence and meaning of these crypto-portraits can be inferred and explained by their identifications in two family portraits, one of which has been hitherto unnoticed.The research on crypto-portraits involves detailed knowledge of the biographies and the presumed appearance of the painters, which, in the case of the Franckens, means that we can chart their life through their self-portraits in their large religious panels.Their ideas of the role of the artist are unknown, as they left few personal documents. Their recurring appearance in various altarpieces may point to a certain indifference towards the metamorphosis of the craftsman into the artist. This is also revealed in the values upheld by the two family portraits.

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