Johan, or Jan van Gool (1685–1763), was a Dutch painter and writer from The Hague, now remembered mainly as a biographer of artists from the Dutch Golden Age.

Life

Landscape with shepherds

Jan van Gool was a pupil of Simon van der Does and Mattheus Terwesten. He became a member of the Confrerie Pictura in 1711. He was first regent, and then five years later became director, of the Hague Drawing School from 1720-1734. He spent most of his time in the Hague, but travelled to England twice and is recorded there in 1711. He specialized in Italianate landscapes.

He is best known today for his book of artist biographies, otherwise known as the "Nieuw Schouburg". The full title is De Nieuwe Schouburg der Nederlantsche kunstschilders en schilderessen: Waer in de Levens- en Kunstbedryven der tans levende en reets overleedene Schilders, die van Houbraken, noch eenig ander schryver, zyn aengeteekend, verhaelt worden. (The Hague, 1750). He meant this book as an update to the original "Schouwburg" written by his friend Arnold Houbraken, whose 3-volume Schouburg was written in order of birth year, ending with Adriaen van der Werff, born in 1659. Just as Houbraken before him, he starts his book with a tribute to his predecessors, most notably Karel van Mander and to Houbraken himself, noting however, that Houbraken included many insulting comments in his sketches that he felt were unnecessary. He starts with the artists that Houbraken left out, choosing for his first subjects two painters from the Hague, Jan van Ravensteyn and Adriaen Hanneman. He then proceeded to write short sketches in birth year order up to 1680, ending Volume I with Gerard Jan Palthe. In Volume II he continued from 1680 with Jan van Huysum and ended in 1700 with the brothers Bernard and Matthijs Accama.

His book contains many notes about Hague painters and the founding of the drawing academy in the Hague, where he lived and worked.

List of painters in Part I

Jan Antonisz. van Ravesteyn p. 15 Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen p. 22 Adriaen Hanneman p. 24 Martinus Lengele p. 30 Arnold van Ravesteyn p. 31 Isaac Koedijck p. 36 Jan Potheuck p. 36 Abraham Lambertsz van den Tempel p. 37 Jan Goedart p. 41 Willem Eversdijck p. 43 Cornelis Eversdyk p. 43 Theodor van der Schuer p. 44 Willem Doudijns p. 51 Nikolaes Wieling p. 58 Herman Verelst p. 59 Pieter Hermansz Verelst p. 59 Simon Pietersz Verelst p. 59 Adriaen Cornelisz Beeldemaker p. 63 Franciscus Carree p. 64 Johan le Ducq p. 65 Marcus de Bye p. 67 Daniël Haring p. 69 Daniel Mijtens the Younger p. 71 Jan Weenix p. 79 Robbert Duval (1639-1732) p. 83 Johannes Vollevens p. 89 Anthoni Schoonjans p. 94Jan Mortel p. 99 Abraham Begeyn p. 100 Elias Terwesten p. 102 Theodoor Visscher p. 104 Cornelis de Bruijn p. 112 Jan van Call p. 117 Jan Frans van Bloemen p. 121 Pieter van Bloemen p. 122 Hendrik Carré p. 122 Michiel Carree p. 125 Frank Pieterse Verheyden p. 127 Arnold Houbraken p. 131 N. Bodekker p. 147 Jillis de Winter p. 150 Jan Fielius p. 151 Jacobus van der Sluis p. 151 Bonaventura van Overbeek p. 154 Theodorus Netscher p. 172 Willem van Mieris p. 191 Nikolaes Hooft p. 204 Matheus de Meele p. 207 Rachel Ruysch p. 210 Matthijs Pool p. 234 Pieter van der Werff p. 234 Albert van Spiers p. 242 Ottmar Elliger p. 243 Herman Henstenburgh p. 248 Elias van Nymeegen p. 256 Kaspares Petro Verbruggen p. 264 Theodor van Pee p. 272Adam Silo p. 287 Frans Beeldemaker p. 289 Jan Hendrik Brandon p. 293 Arnold Boonen p. 294 Jaques Parmantio p. 294 Mattheus Terwesten p. 309 Carel Borchaert Voet p. 329 Alexander van Gaelen p. 340 N. Cramer p. 341 Jacob Christoph Le Blon p. 342 Isaac de Moucheron p. 362 Constantijn Netscher p. 367 R. Bleek p. 374 Gerard Rademaker p. 378 Gerard Wigmana p. 386 Nikolaas Verkolje p. 392 Abraham Rademaker p. 403 Anselmus Weeling p. 409 Dirk Kint p. 413 Jasper Boonen p. 414 Margaretha Wulfraet p. 415 Pieter Hardimé p. 418 Simon Hardimé p. 418 Jan Serin p. 423 Coenraedt Roepel p. 426 Jacob Campo Weyerman p. 434 Philip van Dijk p. 440 Henrik van Limborch p. 448 Jan Palthe p. 370 Gerard Jan Palthe p. 469

List of painters in Part II

Jan van Huysum p. 13 Justus van Huysum p. 30 Jacob van Huysum p. 30 N. Haverman p. 32 Hendrik Hulst p. 32 Herman van der Mijn p. 34 Frans Dekker p. 49 Wilhelmus Troost p. 50 Jacoba Maria van Nickelen p. 52 Matthijs Balen p. 55 Abraham Torenvlied p. 57 Johannes Vollevens II p. 57 Balthasar Denner p. 62 Jacques Ignatius de Roore p. 86 Isaak Walraven p. 116 Hieronimus van der My p. 129 Jan Maurits Quinkhard p. 130 Dirk Dalens p. 134 Bartholomeus Douven p. 136 N. Anchilus p. 138 Robbert Griffier p. 140 Johannes Vogelsang p. 143 Francis Vergh p. 145 Frans van Mieris the Elder p. 147 Jan Abel Wassenberg p. 152 Antoni de Waerd p. 157 Jacob Appel (painter) p. 158 Pieter van Call p. 165 Jan van Call p. 168 Jan Wandelaer p. 169 Henriëtta van Pee p. 179 Harmanus Wolters p. 191 Cornelis Pronk p. 193 Abraham de Haen p. 198 Jan de Beijer p. 199 Louis Fabricius Dubourg p. 200 Gerard Melder p. 205Adriaen van der Burg p. 212 Abraham Carré p. 215 Hendrik Carré II p. 217 Johannes Carré p. 218 Jacob de Wit p. 218 Jacob van Liender p. 238 Theodoor Hartzoeker p. 239 Cornelis Troost p. 241 Sara Troost p. 252 Louis de Moni p. 259 Leonard François Louis p. 262 Johan Hendrik Keller p. 266 Engel Sam p. 273 Johan Graham p. 276 Mattheus Verheyden p. 278 Jan George Freezen p. 297 Antoni Elliger p. 301 Christina Maria Elliger p. 303 Gerard Sanders p. 304 Johannes Antiquus p. 307 Dionys van Nymegen p. 318 Andreas van der Myn p. 321 Cornelia van der Mijn p. 321 Gerard van der Myn p. 321 Frans van der Mijn p. 322 George van der Mijn p. 326 Robbert van der Myn p. 326 Herman Diederik Cuipers p. 327 Pierre Lyonnet p. 330 Kornelis Greenwood p. 338 Aert Schouman p. 346 Tibout Regters p. 353 Augustinus Terwesten p. 355 Jan Verbruggen p. 358 Arnout Rentinck p. 361 Jan ten Compe p. 364 Ludolf Bakhuizen p. 366Hendrik de Winter p. 369 Jan Palthe p. 370 Jacobus Buys p. 372 Nikolaes Reyers p. 372 Hendrik Pothoven p. 374 Adriaen van der Werff p. 376 Huchtenburg p. 410 Gerard Hoet p. 415 Carel de Moor p. 422 Roelof Koets p. 438 Nicolaas Piemont p. 441 Jan van Mieris p. 442 Jan Boeckhorst p. 450 Domenicus van Wijnen p. 451 Dionys Godyn p. 454 Nikolaes van Ravestein p. 455 Isaak van der Vinne p. 455 Jan Vincentsz van der Vinne p. 455 Cornelis Dusart p. 457 Jan Vermeer van Utrecht p. 460 Norbert van Bloemen p. 463 Abraham Brueghel p. 463 Jan Batist Breugel p. 464 N. de Winter p. 465 Jacomo van Staveren p. 466 Jacobus de Baen p. 466 Jan Adriaensz van Staveren p. 466 Dirk Valkenburg p. 477 Jacob Ochtervelt p. 488 S. van der Hoog p. 489 Meindert Hobbema p. 490 Jan Wijnants p. 490 J. Fournier p. 492 Bernard Accama p. 493 Matthijs Accama p. 493
  • in the Institute of Dutch History (with painter index)
  • on Google books (Edition from 1750)