Palamedes Palamedesz

Palamedes Palamedesz (1607 in London – March 26, 1638 in Delft), was a Dutch Golden Age painter, and younger brother of Anthonie Palamedes.

Biography
Frederik Hendrik on horseback
Rider's battle

According to Houbraken, his father was a Flemish sculptor who carved semi-precious stone such as jasper, porphyry, and agate into vases and other decorative art.[1] His father had traveled to England in service of King James of Scotland, but after young Palamedes was born the family returned to Delft where the boys grew up.[1] Houbraken mentions that his talent was so good that Palamedes became a master without having had a master, and only practised by copying the works of Esaias van de Velde, which he did so well that he became very well known. His motto was "to begin from the beginning", but his beginning was only just started when he died at 31 on March 26, 1638.[1]

Palamedes primarily painted battle scenes that were mentioned in Cornelis de Bie's Het Gulden Cabinet. His brother became a respected portrait painter. According to the RKD, he was in Antwerp in 1631, but returned to Delft in 1632.[2]

References

(Dutch) Palamedes Palamedesz. Stevers biography in De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen (1718) by Arnold Houbraken, courtesy of the Digital library for Dutch literature

Palamedes Palamedesz in the RKD

Palamedes Palamedesz on Artnet

External links

Vermeer and The Delft School, a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on Palamedes Palamedesz