Simon Bening (1483/84–1561)

• Was a Flemish miniaturist.
• Bening was born either in Ghent or Antwerp.
• He was probably trained by his father, illuminator Alexander Bening, in the family workshop in Ghent.
• He travelled between Ghent and Bruges.
• He became a member of the guild of San John and Saint Luke in Bruges as an illuminator in 1508.
• He made his own name after moving to Bruges in about 1510, where he had lived since.
• Bening served as a dean of the calligraphers, booksellers, illuminators and bookbinders in the Guild of Saint John and Saint Luke. 

• He was married twice and had six daughters.

• Two of them continued the family artistic tradition: Levina Teerlinc became a miniature painter and Alexandrine Claeiszuene became a successful art dealer.

• Bening specialised in Books of Hours, but by his time these were produced only for royal or very rich patrons.

• He produced books for German rulers, like Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg, and royalty like Emperor Charles V and Don Fernando, the Infante of Portugal.

• Next