1582 – Antwerp – 1647
Born in Antwerp in 1582 to Calvinist parents, the artist most likely completed his apprenticeship in Middelburg between 1607 and 1608. He specialised in fruit Still Life paintings very early on, and probably came into contact with Ambrosius Bosschaert (1573–1621) during his first formative. Upon his return to Antwerp, he joined the city's Guild of Saint Luke in 1608.
Throughout his life, Jacob van Hulsdonck remained faithful to a certain type of composition he had developed early on, which was strikingly classical in an era of baroque temptation. He arranged his fruit either in an openwork wicker basket, or in a Delft earthenware or Chinese porcelain dish, decorated with several leaves or twigs.
A painter of textures, he enjoyed rendering the most varied aspects of objects based on a perfectly mastered technique, which enabled him to provide meticulous descriptions of shapes and volumes from an objective point of view. He was very particular about the lighting in an effort to avoid strong contrasts of light and shadow, thus enveloping each element in an exquisite softness. Dark, neutral backgrounds perfectly enhance a lively and diverse palette, with a preference for the violet hues that characterise the artist. Influenced by Osias Beert (1580–1623), Jacob was himself a source of observation for his son and pupil Gillis van Hulsdonck (1626/1626–1676). His influence also extended to Isaac Soreau (1604–after 1645), François Garnier (c. 1600–1658) and Louise Moillon (1610–1696).