Jan Frans van Douven (1656–1727)

• Was a Southern Netherlandish painter.
• Born in Roermond.

• He spent most of his life as Court painter in Düsseldorf, now in Germany.

• According to Houbraken, his father Gerard Douven was a canon priest in the Roermond chapter.

• He taught his son Latin by age eleven and some art techniques.

• According to the RKD, he was the nephew of his teacher Christoffel Puytlinck, and the father of the painter Frans Bartholomeus Douven.

• In 1682 he moved to Düsseldorf, as the official painter of the Court of Elector Palatine of Rhineland, Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz-Neubur.

• Starting from 1682 he worked on a series of paintings ordered by Elector Palatine.

• Van Douven played a major role in the establishment of the Painting Gallery of the Palace of Düsseldorf.

• Van Douven also travelled to Vienna, accompanying the Elector Palatine on a journey.

• He died in 1727 in Düsseldorf.

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