Frans Luycx

Frans Luycx or Frans Luyckx (; before 17 April 1604 – 1 May 1668) was a Flemish painter who became the leading portrait painter at the imperial court of Emperor Ferdinand III in Vienna. He is best known for his portraits of the Emperor's family and various members of the Habsburgs, including its Austrian and Spanish branches.

Life Frans Luycx was baptized on 17 April 1604 in Antwerp Cathedral. His father, Adam Luycx, was a silk cloth merchant and his mother was Johanna (or Joanna) de Rasieres. In 1618, he became a pupil in the workshop of Remakel Sina (also known as Remacules Quina). He was admitted as a master in the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1620. He then joined the workshop of the leading Antwerp master Peter Paul Rubens.

In 1635, Luycx was in Rome where he was able to establish contacts with the higher clerical circles and likely also with the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg. His contacts with the Imperial family may also have been facilitated by his brother Gerhard who was a courtier at the Viennese court holding the position of 'bohmischer Kammerrat'. His younger brother Antonius was a high-ranking cleric at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna as well as the teacher of Archduchess Mariana of Austria. From the beginning of 1638 he became the court painter of the newly appointed emperor Ferdinand III. He was paid a handsome salary and took up residence in Vienna. The Polish king probably visited the artist's atelier during his visit to Vienna in 1638. The 1640 settlement says about the payment by Polish agent in Vienna to "Leic, painter, for three effigies". Before 1643 Polish prince John Casimir Vasa availed himself of his services for the decoration of his residence in Nieporęt. and a portrait of King Władysław the Elbow-high, probably one from a cycle, lost during World War II (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden).

It is possible that Luycx travelled in 1640. It is believed that he was ennobled, together with his two brothers, around 1642. Luycx was referred to as 'von Luxenstein' from that time onwards. Around 1643, he is recorded as having pupils or assistants in his workshop. In that year his first wife died. The next year he married 24-year old Eleanora Claurens who was likely the mother of his three children. A first son was born in 1645. His second wife died in childbirth in 1651. However, he abandoned these subjects soon after his first appointment as court painter. He established his reputation with his numerous portraits of the royal families and members of the courts of the Habsburgs, particularly in Vienna. These works played the same role as those of his compatriot and near contemporary Justus Sustermans in Florence. Unlike the latter, Luyckx was interested more in the quality of falling fabrics and draperies.

His work suffered quality loss through the incessant repetition of models that became stereotypical. His Viennese court style betrays Italian and Spanish influences. His compositions display a clear relationship with the portraits by Diego Velázquez. Luyckx used poses similar to those of Velázquez in some of his paintings; This is evidenced in the seven portraits by his hand in the Museo del Prado.