Personalities Floris, Frans

Flemish painter, draftsman, engraver. He came from a family of outstanding artists, sculptors, stone carvers. He received elementary education from his father, Cornelis I Floris de Vriendt. Later he studied painting with Lambert Lombard in Liege. In 1540 he was registered as a master at the guild of St. Luke in Antwerp. From 1541 to 1546 he was with his brother Cornelis in Italy, where he studied the works of Italian Renaissance masters, including Michelangelo. From 1547 until his death he lived in Antwerp, where he ran a large studio with many students, including: Chrispijn and Hendrick van den Broeck, Marten and Hendrick van Cleve, Lucas de Heere, brothers Hieronymus, Frans, Ambrosius Francken and others (only up to 120 people). He drew paintings on historical, biblical and mythological subjects, as well as portraits. In his work he combined the italian style with dutch painting tradition, for which he was nicknamed "Flemish Raphael".