Ca 1620/25 -Antwerp-after 1647

Peter Willebeeck or Petrus Willebeeck (active 1632– ca. 1648) was a Flemish still life painter who was active in Antwerp in the second quarter of the 17th century. He is known for his fruit still lifes. Willebeecks oeuvre is small.
Virtually nothing is recorded about Willebeeck’s life and training. It is believed he was born around 1620-1625. The Liggeren of the Antwerp St Luke guild mention Willebeeck as a ’gezel’ (student) in 1632 studying with Eduard Snayers. Sometimes children from the age of 7 or 8 started already to ‘train’ with a master. But an age of 12-13 was also common. The liggeren mention Willebeeck again in 1646/47 when he becomes a master. Such a long time as a student point to a possible sojourn in another city or country.
Pieter Cosijn (III) (1630-1667) from The Hague was apprentice of Peter Willebeeck in 1647 between 17 June and 7 November for fl. 255 a year.

Willebeeck painted fruit still lifes, vanitas still lives, pronkstillevens and banquet pieces. The only dated work by his hand is a fruit still life dated 1647, which represents a fruit garland around a grisaille bust of Christ. This painting was originally at the Harrach Gallery in Vienna and was last auctioned on 18 January 1983 at Christie’s New York. A vanitas still life that was at B. Koetser in 1975 is related to a work of Joris van Son dated 1652 and may have served as the model for the van Son painting.

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