United Under One Roof: Artist Painters and Coarse Painters and their Relations in Seventeenth-Century Leiden

The job titles kunstschilder (artist painter) and klad- or grofschilder (coarse painter) only came into regular use after 1640. In the first decades of the seventeenth century, anyone who painted for a living was simply referred to as a schilder (painter). This article traces the way the division of the painter’s craft into two more or less separate trades emerged, specifically for Leiden. The background against which this process is considered is the genesis of Leiden’s Guild of St Luke. In the art historical literature, the Guild of St Luke usually appears in its role as successful protector of the artist painters against the import of paintings from other towns and cities. In most studies, the importance of the guild is measured in terms of the composition of the local holdings of paintings – the demand side of the art market. The difficult genesis of the Leiden Guild of St Luke provides a good opportunity to consider the importance of this guild from the supply side – the artists themselves.