John Closterman Paintings

John Closterman was born in 1660 in Osnabrück, then part of the Holy Roman Empire. Closterman’s father was an artist and would have given his son a basic training. It was not until 1679 when Closterman travelled to Paris and worked under the Court artist François de Troy that he began to hone his skills as a portrait painter. In 1680, following the death of Sir Peter Lely, Closterman arrived in London where he was soon employed by John Riley as a painter of draperies. After the death of Riley in 1691, the demand for Closterman’s works soared and by the late 1690s he appears to have enjoyed a position amongst the most distinguished literary and artistic circles.

In 1696, Closterman was invited to Spain where he was patronsied by the court and painted full-length portraits of Carlos II and Maria Ana of Neuberg. He went from Madrid to Rome where he collected old master drawings and expanded his knowledge of classical antiquities. On his return to England in 1702, his demand amongst the nobility had increased further as a result. Closterman in the last few years of his life took a beautiful mistress who, according to Arnold Houbraken, stole much of his property and then left him. Her departure allegedly precipitated Closterman’s physical and mental decline, he died soon after in 1711.