Godfried Van Schalcken Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Godfried van Schalcken was born in 1643 in Made, Holland, and was a famous painter. He gained great fame thanks to his paintings in which light plays an important role, especially when he painted subjects in dark environments lit by candles. Read the full biography

Godfried van Schalcken was born in 1643 in Made, Holland, and was a famous painter. He gained great fame thanks to his paintings in which light plays an important role, especially when he painted subjects in dark environments lit by candles. As a young man he studied painting in Dordrecht under Van Hoogstraten and later with Gerhard Douw in Leiden. His first paintings followed the style of the second master. After working in Leiden until 1675, he returned to Dordrecht and then finally settled in The Hague in 1691. In 1692 he visited England and remained there until 1697, before entering the service of the Elector Palatine John William of the House of Wittelsbach-Zweibrücken in Düsseldorf in 1703. One of his most famous portraits is that of William III of England, now preserved in the Rijksmuseum. Thanks to this painting it is possible to appreciate the light effect of the candles that van Schalcken often used with great skill. His paintings are present in many important collections, including those in the Louvre, Buckingham Palace, Vienna and Dresden. Godfried van Schalcken died on 16 November 1706 in The Hague.