Pieter van Hanselaere

Pieter van Hanselaere (; 1786–1862 ), also credited as Pierre van Hanselaere , was a Belgian painter in the neoclassical style, who specialized in portraits and religious and historical scenes.

Biography Pieter van Hanselaere was born in Ghent on 31 July 1786; he studied at the Academy of Ghent with Pierre Van Huffel, and then in Paris at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture with Jacques-Louis David, in 1809. In 1814 he was back in Ghent and competed for the prize in historical painting; winning it gave him the funds to travel to Italy. and Pierre Olivier Joseph Coomans (1816–1889) were among his pupils. Van Hanselaere exhibited in many cities and had amassed a considerable fortune, allowing him to buy three houses in the Rue Courte du Marais. By 1844 he had finished his pièce capitale, a 24 by 16 foot painting depicting Philip van Artevelde and his army leaving Ghent to fight Louis II, Count of Flanders (1381). Critical response of the large and confused piece was negative, and van Hanselaere never fully recuperated from the disappointment. The death of his only son hastened him towards his death, on 10 March 1862.

Selected works