Tassaert family

The Tassaert family was an artistic family originating in Antwerp whose members were active mainly from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries. The family’s documented activities covered painting, sculpture, engraving, illustration, miniature painting, gilding, and art dealing. Its members worked across several important European artistic centers, including Antwerp, London, Paris, and Berlin, reflecting the mobility of professional artists during the early modern and modern periods. The family’s early history is associated with Antwerp and the Guild of Saint Luke. Pieter Tassaert the Elder was a painter and art dealer who was admitted as a master of the Antwerp guild in 1635. His children and descendants continued in related artistic and commercial occupations. Lucas Tassaert was a painter in Antwerp, while Maria Tassaert worked as a still-life painter. Peter Frans Tassaert and Jan Pieter Tassaert combined painting and gilding with art dealing, indicating that the family’s involvement in the art world extended beyond the production of artworks to the preparation and circulation of them. A later and particularly prominent member was Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert, a sculptor born in Antwerp in 1729. He worked in Antwerp before moving to London in 1744, then continuing his career in Paris, and eventually settling in Berlin in 1775. His movements connected the family to several major centers of European court and commercial art. His descendants and relatives maintained the family’s artistic presence in different media and regions. His son Jean-Joseph-François Tassaert became an engraver and painter and established himself permanently in Paris in 1792. Jean-Joseph-François’s sons included Paul Tassaert, a French engraver, and Octave Tassaert, a French painter. Other descendants pursued careers in miniature painting and maintained links with Prussia. Henriette-Félicité Tassaert was a miniaturist active there, while Antoinette Tassaert became a member of the Berlin Academy. After marrying the chamber musician Johann Joseph Beer, Antoinette signed her works as Antoinette Beer. Philip Joseph Tassaert, a brother of Jean-Pierre-Antoine, was active as a painter and mezzotint engraver and worked in London until his death in 1803. The Tassaert family is therefore best understood as a historical artistic lineage rather than a commercial brand or operating company. Its significance lies in the continuity of artistic occupations across several generations and in the geographical spread of its members between the Southern Netherlands, France, England, and the German-speaking world. The available reference material does not establish a contemporary organization, corporate structure, website, owner, or continuing commercial activity under the family name.

The Tassaert family originated in Antwerp and produced artists and art professionals over several generations. The earliest identified figure in the reference material is Pieter Tassaert the Elder, a painter and art dealer who became a master of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1635. His professional standing placed the family within Antwerp’s organized artistic community during the seventeenth century. Pieter’s descendants continued to work in Antwerp. Lucas Tassaert was a painter, while Maria Tassaert was a still-life painter active during the seventeenth century. Peter Frans Tassaert and Jan Pieter Tassaert worked as painters, gilders, and art dealers. These occupations suggest a family network involved both in making works and in the preparation, finishing, and trade of art. Jan Pieter later became the ancestor of Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert. Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert was born in Antwerp in 1729 and became a sculptor. His career took him first to London in 1744, then to Paris, and finally to Berlin, where he settled in 1775. His movements illustrate the family’s participation in the international circulation of artists between established artistic and courtly centers. His brother Philip Joseph Tassaert also pursued a mobile career, working as a painter and mezzotint engraver and becoming associated with London before his death there in 1803. Jean-Pierre-Antoine’s children extended the family’s activity into several media. Jean-Joseph-François Tassaert was an engraver and painter who established himself permanently in Paris in 1792. His sons included Paul Tassaert, a French engraver, and Octave Tassaert, a French painter. His daughters Henriette-Félicité Tassaert and Antoinette Tassaert worked as miniaturists in Prussia. Antoinette became a member of the Berlin Academy and, following her marriage to chamber musician Johann Joseph Beer, used the name Antoinette Beer in signing her works. Across roughly two centuries, the family’s members therefore maintained a presence in painting, sculpture, printmaking, miniature painting, gilding, illustration, and art dealing. The lineage crossed political and cultural boundaries between Antwerp, England, France, and Prussia. The family should not be treated as a modern consumer brand or corporate enterprise; the name identifies a historically connected group of artists and art professionals. The supplied material does not document a current institution, formal family business, contemporary leadership, or ongoing commercial operation.

• 1803

  Death of Philip Joseph Tassaert in London

  [1]Tassaert familyen.wikipedia.org

  Philip Joseph Tassaert, a painter and mezzotint engraver, died in London after a career connected with English artistic circles.

• 1792

  Jean-Joseph-François Tassaert establishes himself in Paris

  [1]Tassaert familyen.wikipedia.org

  Jean-Joseph-François Tassaert, an engraver and painter, made Paris his permanent base.

• 1775

  Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert settles in Berlin

  [1]Tassaert familyen.wikipedia.org

  After working in Antwerp, London, and Paris, Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert established himself in Berlin.

• 1744

  Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert moves to London

  [1]Tassaert familyen.wikipedia.org

  The sculptor Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert left Antwerp for London, beginning the international phase of his career.

• 1635

  Pieter Tassaert the Elder enters the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke

  [1]Tassaert familyen.wikipedia.org

  Pieter Tassaert the Elder was admitted as a master of Antwerp’s Guild of Saint Luke, establishing the family’s documented presence in the city’s organized artistic profession.

A historical European artistic lineage associated with cross-generational practice in fine art, printmaking, sculpture, miniature painting, gilding, and art dealing.

• Fine art

  Paintings

  Members of the family produced paintings in several genres. The documented painters include Pieter Tassaert the Elder, Lucas Tassaert, Peter Frans Tassaert, Jan Pieter Tassaert, Jean-Joseph-François Tassaert, Octave Tassaert, and Philip Joseph Tassaert. The family’s painting activity extended from Antwerp into France and England.

• Fine art

  Sculpture

  Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert was the family’s principal documented sculptor. His career connected Antwerp, London, Paris, and Berlin, placing the family within the international sculpture networks of the eighteenth century.

• Printmaking

  Engravings and mezzotints

  Printmaking was represented by Jean-Joseph-François Tassaert and Paul Tassaert as engravers, and by Philip Joseph Tassaert as a painter and mezzotint engraver. Their work extended the family’s artistic practice from unique objects into reproducible images.

• Decorative and portrait art

  Miniature paintings

  Henriette-Félicité Tassaert and Antoinette Tassaert were miniaturists active in Prussia. Antoinette later exhibited an institutional connection through membership in the Berlin Academy and signed works as Antoinette Beer after marriage.

• Art trade and decorative arts

  Art dealing and gilding

  Pieter Tassaert the Elder, Peter Frans Tassaert, and Jan Pieter Tassaert were associated with art dealing, while the latter two also worked as gilders. These activities show that the family participated in the commercial and decorative infrastructure surrounding artistic production.

1. 1Tassaert familyen.wikipedia.org