Biography

Jacques d'Arthois (other spellings: Artoes; Artoies; Artois; Artoos; Artoys), Flemish painter, draughtsman and collector. He was apprenticed to Jan Mertens on 11 January 1625 and became a master in the Brussels painters' guild on 3 May 1634. On 10 July 1636 he married Marie Sampels, who bore him eight children. Besides his son Jan Baptist d'Arthois (b. 1638) and his brother Nicolaes d'Arthois (b. 1617), Jacques had six pupils; one of them, Cornelis van Empel, came from Mechelen, indicating that d'Arthois's fame extended beyond his native city. He was made chartered tapestry cartoon designer of the city of Brussels in 1655. At the time of his death he owned several houses and a substantial paintings collection, though an expansive lifestyle had left him severely in debt.