Adriaen Isenbrant (or Ysenbrant) was first mentioned in 1510 when he became a master in the Bruges painters' and saddlemakers' guild. He was recorded as a stranger, but his native town was not mentioned. Between 1516/1517 and 1547/1548 he was listed numerous times as a vinder or minor offical of the guild and in 1526/1527 and 1537/1538 was a gouverneur or financial officer. He was married twice, and his second wife bore three daughters.
Adding to our knowledge is Sanderus' De Brugensibus eruditionis fama claris libri duo, published in Amsterdam in 1624. Sanderus, citing earlier authority (Dionysius Hardwijn (1530-1604/1605), describes Adriaen Isenbrant of Bruges as a disciple of Gerard David and skilled in portriature and the depiction of nude figures. Since there is no documentary evidence that Isenbrant was ever a pupil of David, the term "disciple" should perhaps not be taken literally. Isenbrant frequently quotes as well from the works of earlier masters such as Jan Van Eyck and Hugo van der Goes. There are also affinities with the pictures of his contemporaries in Bruges, Ambrosius Benson and Lancelot Blondel. A considerable range of quality in the pictures grouped around Isenbrant's name indicates a large workshop as well as other copyists and followers. Isenbrant died in his house in Bruges shortly before 21 July 1551. [Hand, John Oliver, and Martha Wolff. Early Netherlandish Painting. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1986: 118.]
Artist Bibliography
1902
Hulin de Loo, Georges. Bruges. Exposition de tableaux flamands des XIVe, XVe, et XVIe siècles. Catalogue critique. Ghent, 1902: LXIII-LXVII.
1939
Parmentier, R. A. "Bronnen voor de Geschiedenis van het Brugsche Schildersmilieu in de XVIe Eeuw. IX: Adriaan Isenbrant." Revue Belge d'Archéologie et d'Histoire de l'Art 9 (1939): 229-265.
1967
Friedländer 1933, vol. 11 (vol. 11, 1974).
1968
Janssens de Bisthoven, A. "Een nieuw datering voor twee aan Isenbrant toegeschreven schilderijen." Miscellanea Jozef Duverger. 2 vols. Ghent, 1968: 1:175-185.
1986
Hand, John Oliver and Martha Wolff. Early Netherlandish Painting. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1986: 118.