Edouard Jean Conrad Hamman (1819-1888)

Edouard Jean Conrad Hamman (1819 in Ostend-1888 in Paris) was a Belgian painter and engraver who specialized in portraying scenes from the lives of famous artists, scholars and the nobility. He grew up in a well-to-do family. His father was the Town Receiver and secretary of the Chamber of Commerce in Ostend and created a fund for the benefit of needy fishermen and their families. Little is known of this period in his life, but he apparently became a student of François-Antoine Bossuet at an early age. In the school-year 1837/38, he was enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp). He was also a private student in the studio of Nicaise de Keyser. It is believed that he was a student of Hendrik Leys, although Leys had no students, properly speaking. He had his formal debut at the Ghent Salon of 1838 with an unspecified "interior scene". His exposure to other artists there led to him being influenced by the style of Louis Gallait. His first success was at the Brussels Salon of 1842 where he received a medal, which was followed by a commission to paint a mural, The Triumphant Entry of the Archduke Albert and Isabella to Ostend in 1604, for the Town Hall. Unfortunately, the mural was destroyed during World War II. At this time he also did several illustrations for books by the publishing firm of J.E.Buschmann. In 1846 he moved to Paris for further studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he was attracted to the works of Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury and Thomas Couture. He exhibited at the Salon des Paris and received a medal in 1853, 1855, 1859 and 1863. He became a Chevalier of the Order de Leopold and of the Legion d'Honneur in France. In 1849 he made the traditional study trip to Italy. He eventually achieved great fame in France. Napoleon III and the Empress Eugénie were fond of his work and in 1863 the French government bought his painting Education of Charles V for 4,000 francs. Among his other notable works from this period are six paintings of Italian history, commissioned by Victor Emmanuel II, and the series "Celebrated Composers", reproductions from which are still in use. In later years he turned more to genre painting and portraits, including one of King Norodom of Cambodia, which brought him great distinction in that country. His son, Édouard Michel Ferdinand Hamman (1854-1952) became a landscape painter of some note.
By clicking "Accept All" you agree to the use of analytical cookies that we use on our website to measure usage. These cookies provide information that will help us to improve our site and enhance user experience. By clicking "Manage Preferences", you can manage your consent and find out more about the cookies we use.
Manage your privacy preferences

These are functional cookies needed to keep our website working properly and give you the best experience when visiting our website.

We collect information about how visitors use our website. The information is in aggregate form and counts visitor numbers and other information to help us improve our website.

These cookies ensure that, if applicable, any adverts are properly displayed and targeted based on your browsing. They may also be used to integrate social media on our site.

We may use assets from 3rd parties on our website, for example, Google fonts, which enhance your viewing and visual experience.

Read our privacy policy