Frans Francken I

Frans Francken I or Frans Francken the Elder (1542–1616) was a Flemish painter who was one of the principal painters in Antwerp during the Counter-Reformation. He is mainly known for his large altarpieces and allegorical paintings. He was a member of the Francken dynasty of painters that played an important role in the Antwerp art scene in the late 16th century and the 17th century.

Life Francken was born in Herentals as the son of Nicholas Francken, an obscure painter from Herentals. His father later settled in Antwerp and was likely his first teacher. He became a master of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 1567 and was its deacon in 1587. The Romanists were Netherlandish painters who had typically travelled to Italy to study the works of leading Italian High Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael and their followers. Their art assimilated these Italian influences into the Northern painting tradition.

In 1571 he collaborated with his older brother Hieronymus on a large Adoration of the Magi triptych (Brussels, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and London, Brompton Oratory) which bears his monogram as well as that of his brother Hieronymus. The brothers included self-portraits in profile: Hieronymus on the left side and Frans on the right side of the triptych.

Frans Francken married Elisabeth Mertens. The couple had many children, of whom at the time of his death in 1619 six were still alive: Thomas ( b Antwerp, 28 Feb 1574; d Antwerp, c. 1625 ), Frans, Hieronymus, Ambrosius II ( b Antwerp, c. 1590; d Antwerp, bur 8 Aug 1632 ), Magdalena and Elisabeth.

Frans Francken the Elder painted small-scale cabinet pictures, a genre in which his sons Frans and Hieronymus would excel. He was further known for his allegorical paintings and his son Frans would continue this tradition. An example of an allegorical painting is The Battle of Time against Death in the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen.

Family tree