Stradanus, Jan van der Straet (1523–1605)

• Was a was a Flemish artist active mainly in 16th-century Florence, Italy.  
• Born in Bruges, he began his training in the shop of his father.
• He continued his training in the workshop of the further unknown Bruges master Maximiliaen Francken.
• He later moved to Antwerp where he studied from 1537 to 1540 in the workshop of Pieter Aertsen.
• In 1545 he was registered under the name Hans vander Straten as a master painter in the Antwerp guild of Saint Luke.
• He moved to Venice where he spent a few months.
• Stradanus travel to Florence for work in 1550.
• In Florence he entered in the service of the Medici Dukes.
• He became one of the principal assistants of Giorgio Vasari.
• He designed a number of scenes for tapestries and frescoes to decorate the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence and the Medici Villa at Poggio a Caiano, projects that were under the general direction of Vasari and executed by the about 20 assistants in Vasari's workshop.
• Here he assisted Francesco Salviati and also worked with Daniele da Volterra.
• Between 1550 and 1555 Stradanus married Lucrezia di Lorenzo Guardieri.
• They had Two children from this marriage were Lucrezia and Scipione.
• Scipione became an artist and collaborated with his father on some projects.
• Stradanus was one of the earliest members together with the aforementioned artists of the Accademia e Compagnia delle Arti del Disegno, after its establishment was approved by the Medici court on 13 January 1563 at the request of Vasari.
• One of his pupils was Antonio Tempesta.
• He played a key role in the design of the tomb of Michelangelo who died in 1564.
• He died in Florence on 2 November 1605.

• Next