Leiden 1584-1657

David Bailly is primarily known for his portraits and vanitas still lifes. Facts about his live are known trough the city historian Jan Jansz. Orlers, who wrote in his ’Beschrijvinge van Leyden’
about the painter. Orlers probably knew the painter well. Not only were they active in the same city, Orlers also possesed portraits by Bailly of his daughter Barbara and her husband.
Bailly was probably born in 1584 as the fourth child of Pieter Bailly from Antwerp and Willempgen Wolfertsdr from Noordwijk. They were married in 1577. Pieter worked for the univerity as an engraver, calligrapher and fencing-master. Later he became schoolmaster and fencing teacher.

David Bailly was an apprentice of Jacob de Gheyn and Adriaen van der Burch. In 1602 he left for Amsterdam probably to train with Cornelis van der Voort. He was apprentice of Cornelis van der Voort, with whom he worked and lived until 1608.  He travelled to Italy in the next years. In the course of 1613 he returned to Leiden. The earliest known painting by Bailly dates from 1616. In that year het took on Niclaes Adriaenssen from antwerp as a student. Other students were his nephews Harmen and Pieter van Steenwijck. He taught them for five and three years respectively but according to his housekeeper Bailly complained that the boys ’did little work’and that he had received no reimbursement for costs, board and teaching. Bailly was involved in the art trade, since there is eveidence that he bought paintings to resell them. From c. 1642 Bailly took part at the preperations of the foundation of the St. Luke’s guild in Leiden and became its dean (for the first time) in 1648. As co founder of the guild he authored the first set of rules pertaining to the sale of painitngs. 

Bailly married in 1642 at the age of 58. His new wife, 15 years his junior was Agnetha van Swanenburg. Agnetha and David did not have children and in their wills from 1644 and 1657 the left virtually all their assests to each other. Agnetha was fairly well to do. In 1646 the assets of the pair, worth 5000 guilders had come almost entirely from here. She is explicitly named in the tax records.Nevertheless the assests shrank considerably over the time. Barely five months before his death, David Bailly became cellar master at the Staten Collegie theological college presumably to earn an extra income. On 5 November 1657 a grave was openened at St. Peters church for Mr. Davidt Ballij. He had died a few days before.  

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