Juliaen Teniers the Elder

He was born in Antwerp as the son of Juliaan Teniers, originally from Ath and his father's second wife Joanna van Maelbeke. His father was a successful silk merchant who owned a house on the Handschoenmarkt in Antwerp. David had one sister and four brothers of whom David Teniers the Elder became a successful painter. He was the uncle of David Teniers the Younger.[2]

He married Suzanna Coignet, the sister of the painter Gillis II Coignet on 23 April 1595.[1] The couple had at least three children: Jan Baptist, Melchior en Joanna.[3]

Juliaan Teniers became a master of the Guild of St. Luke in 1595 and he joined the Gilde van de Armenbus (Guild of the Poor Box), a sort of collective insurance pool for artists in need which also played a social role.[4] He and his wife lived in the Koningstraat until 1597, when they bought the house De Roos in the Vaartstraat.[2] Between 1595 and 1608 he had at least eleven pupils, of whom only Gaspar van den Hoecke and his half brother David the Elder still have any claim to fame.[5]

Juliaan Teniers died shortly before 11 March 1615.[6]

He was known as a figure painter and painter of flower pieces.[2] Together with David Juliaan painted scenes for plays performed during the Joyous Entry of the Archdukes in Antwerp.[7] His paintings are deemed lost and only known through inventories.[8] These inventories also make clear that he sometimes cooperated with Joos de Momper and Claes van Cleve.[9]

• Meskens, Ad (1998). Familia Universalis: Coignet. Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerpen.

• Rombouts, Philip Felix; van Lerius, Theodoor (1874). De liggeren en andere historische archieven der Antwerpsche Sint Lucasgilde. Baggerman.

• van den Branden, F.J. (1883). Geschiedenis der Antwerpsche Schilderschool. J.E. Buschmann.

• van den Broeck, L. (1987). Het beeld van de vorst in de Zuidelijke Nederlanden. onuitgegeven licentiaatsthesis, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.