The Life and Art of Jan Theuns
Born in Breda, Netherlands, Jan Theuns was a Dutch painter who specialized in landscapes, interiors, and rural peasant scenes. His early training began at the Ambachtsschool, where he studied to be a decorator, before receiving drawing lessons at the Avondtekenschool in Breda. His talent was recognized early on by the romantic painter Karel Frans Phillippeau, who encouraged his artistic development. Theuns became an accomplished painter of various subjects, including works such as Oosterschelde oever bij Bergen op Zoom, genaamd De Duintjes.
Mastery and Notoriety
Theuns was deeply fascinated by the techniques, color, and composition of 17th-century masters, including Rembrandt, Rubens, and van Dyck. He studied their works extensively in museums across Antwerp, Rotterdam, The Hague, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. His ability to imitate the style of Rembrandt was so profound that he earned the nickname “Breda's Rembrandt.”
This technical dexterity led to a significant scandal in 1927 involving a painting of an old rabbi. Originally sold for 10 guilders, the work was later sold for 70,000 guilders as an original Rembrandt. Technical investigations eventually revealed the painting was not an original, despite its striking similarity to Rembrandt's work. While Theuns maintained his innocence regarding the forged signature, the affair brought him international notoriety. He continued to produce these "Rembrandt-heads" for customers worldwide, eventually signing his works J. Theuns to distinguish them from the originals he imitated.
