Martin van Dorne

Martin van Dorne or Martinus Vandorne (Leuven, baptized on 22 January 1736 – Leuven, 2 May 1808) was a Flemish painter and poet who specialized in still lifes. He is known for his still lifes of fruit and flowers. He was nominated court painter by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, the governor of the Austrian Netherlands. He was also a poet in the Dutch language.

Life Martin van Dorne was the son of Amandus van Dorne and Elisabetha Annosset.

Van Dorne was an amateur poet who composed occasional poetry at family feasts and meetings of artists. On the return to Belgium of the history painter Pieter-Jozef Verhaghen, who was also his friend, he described in a short didactic poem, all the works executed by the prolific artist Verhaghen.

He died in the Civil Hospital of Leuven on 2 May 1808.

Work Martin van Dorne mainly painted still lifes with flowers, butterflies and fruit. These works continue the late baroque tradition of Flemish still life painters such as Jan Baptist Bosschaert. A pair of still lifes in the M – Museum Leuven show still lifes of flowers in a vase on a pedestal with a view of a landscape in the background. There is also some fruit on the pedestal.