(b Leiden, 21 April 1571; d Utrecht, 16 Oct 1638). Painter, son of (1) Isaac Claesz. van Swanenburg. After training in his father’s studio, he left c. 1591 for Italy, where he worked successively in Venice, Rome and Naples, returning to Leiden only in 1618. The small body of his surviving works can be divided into two groups: a few views of Rome, produced long after his return to Leiden, which are somewhat old-fashioned, and several representations of Hell (e.g. Charon’s Boat; Leiden, Stedel. Mus. Lakenhal), which are related to other works from the international painters’ colony active in Naples in the first decades of the 17th century, and which, in turn, probably influenced younger painters such as François de Nomé. Rembrandt was one of Jacob’s pupils, c. 1602–3, but his work shows little evidence of van Swanenburg’s influence.

Part of the Swanenburg, van family

• Swanenburg, Jacob (Isaacsz.) van
  • Swanenburg, van
  • collaboration
    • Nomé, François de
  • pupils
    • Leiden, §2: Art life and organization
    • Rembrandt van Rijn, §I, 1: Training and early work, to c 1626
    • Rembrandt van Rijn, §I, 1(i): Training and early work, to c 1626: Paintings
  • works
    • Netherlands,the, §III, 4(iii): Painting and graphic arts, c 1550–c 1680: Leiden