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Zelfportret, Wybrand de Geest, 1629. Olieverf op paneel. Fries Museum, Leeuwarden - Bruikleen van het Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam - Gerestaureerd met steun van de Wassenbergh-Clarijs-Fontein Stichting.

Zelfportret, Wybrand de Geest, 1629. Olieverf op paneel. Fries Museum, Leeuwarden - Bruikleen van het Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam - Gerestaureerd met steun van de Wassenbergh-Clarijs-Fontein Stichting.

Cooperation Genealogical Working Group and Fries Museum on De Geest family tree

Working groups

History and heritage

Starting today, the Fries Museum is hosting an exhibition on the Frisian artist Wybrand de Geest (1592–1663/65), one of the most important portrait painters of the 17th century. The exhibition showcases the high society and glamour of that era through portraits painted by Wybrand de Geest, including those of the Frisian Nassaus. Our Genealogical Working Group has created an updated genealogical overview of Wybrand de Geest especially for this exhibition.

It is about the the parentage of Simon Juckes de Geest, father of His, Gelis and painter Wybrand de Geest. A parentage is the family tree form that starts from the oldest known parents. At the request of Drs Marlies Stoter, curator of Old Art at the Fries Museum, the Genealogical Working Group set to work to produce an updated genealogical overview of Wybrand de Geest.

The authors of the overview, Gosse van der Plaats and Mieke Breij, placed Wybrand de Geest in his family network. Van der Plaats focused on the family in Leeuwarden, Breij on the branch of Wybrand's older brother Gelis in Utrecht and on the rest of his network in the central Netherlands.

This family overview broadly covers the period from 1550 to 1750. Among other things, the research shows that Wybrand de Geest was never taught by his father, as previously assumed, and it shows the importance of his brother Gelis for his career. Gelis married in Utrecht in 1604 in a Reformed-Remonstrant milieu. He became a citizen of that city in 1605. Wybrand took his painting course in Utrecht and made important contacts there.

This family tree is the first contribution in the new Genealogysk Jierboek 2024, and will be used as the basic document for the public book accompanying the exhibition, which will be written by researchers such as Prof Yme Kuiper and others.

More information: Fries Museum

 

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