VALCKENBORCH, van, Flemish family of artists
The family was originally from Leuven but was one of many families who, for political or religious reasons, left the Spanish-occupied southern Netherlands and settled in the more tolerant German imperial cities, particularly Frankfurt am Main, where they often strongly influenced artistic developments. Of the 14 known painters in the family, only Marten van Valckenborch I, his brother Lucas van Valckenborch I and Marten's sons Frederik van Valckenborch and Gillis (Egidius) van Valckenborch have so far been identified as significant from surviving works. The origins of Lucas's and Marten's painting are found in Antwerp and Mechelen, where landscape paintings in watercolour on canvas (waterschilderijen) were especially popular as a substitute for tapestry. One later artist in the family, Johan Jacob van Valckenborch (1625–75), was a goldsmith.
