Jacob Caproens

Jacob Caproens or Jac. Caproens (fl 1675 – 1725, in Antwerp) was a still life painter active in Antwerp in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Only a handful of works by the artist have been identified. Caproens painted flower and fruit still lifes, garland paintings and banquet still lifes.

Life Nothing is known about the life of Jacob Caproens. The first mention of the artist is in an 18th-century sale catalogue, which mentions one large flower painting and two large flower and fruit paintings by Caproens. He is believed to have been active in Antwerp. While some art historians have situated the period of his activity between 1675 and 1725 others place it earlier between 1653 and 1672.

Garland paintings were usually collaborations between a still life painter who painted the garland and a figure painter who filled the central cartouche with an image. The cartouche in the center of Caproens's garland paintings is filled with religious as well as mythological imagery. A pair of garland paintings entitled Cartouche still life of flowers around an image of Caritas and Cartouche still life of flowers around a bacchanal of putti (Town hall of Braunlage) have respectively a religious and secular cartouche.