Lucas Franchoys the Elder or Lucas Francois (1574–1643) was a Flemish painter of history paintings and portraits.
Life He was born in Mechelen in a family of artists. His sister Cornelia married the sculptor Hendrik Faydherbe and their son Lucas Faydherbe became a leading Flemish Baroque sculptor. Lucas Franchoys the Elder became a master in the Mechelen Guild of St. Luke in 1599. Between 1613 and 1640 he was deacon of the guild six times.Lucas Franchoys (I) at the Netherlands Institute for Art History
He married Catharina du Pont on 13 January 1605. The couple had three daughters and two sons. He taught both of his sons, Lucas Franchoys the Younger and Peter Franchoys, the art of painting. In the years 1602–1604 he was court painter in Paris and Madrid. In Paris, he worked for Henri, Prince of Condé for whom he painted many portraits.Patrick Le Chanu. "Condé, House of." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 26 September 2014Lucas Francois in: Cornelis de Bie, Het Gulden Cabinet vande Edel Vry Schilder-Const, Antwerp, 1662, p. 374 In 1610 he painted a Pietà for the Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent.
He died in Mechelen.
Work The early Dutch biographer Arnold Houbraken described Franchoys as a painter known for his portraits and historical allegories.Lucas Francois biography in: Arnold Houbraken, De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen, 1718 His clients belonged to the elite.
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