Diego Duarte (art collector)

Diego Duarte or Jacob Duarte (1612–1691) was a 17th-century Portuguese jeweler, banker, composer, organist and art collector living in Antwerp, who owned paintings by Jan Vermeer, Raphael and others.

Duarte was born in Antwerp, the son of Gaspar Duarte I, a Christian diamond and art dealer of Jewish descent in Antwerp, whose circle of friends included Constantijn Huygens. Gaspar was the son of Diego Duarte I, and was born in 1584 in Antwerp. He later became the consul of Portugal in Antwerp. In 1635, Diego was appointed "jeweller in ordinary" by Charles I of England, but he returned to Antwerp in 1642.[1] He received a part of the art collection of his father on his death in 1653, and continued collecting throughout his life. Part of his collection was sold in Amsterdam in 1682. Diego had a long correspondence and friendship with Constantijn Huygens Jr. The house of the Duarte family in Antwerp was called the Antwerp Parnassus, a meeting place for intellectuals to enjoy art and music. William III of England repeatedly stayed at the house between 1674 and 1678. Diego's brother Gaspar Duarte II was an art collector as well, and his sister Leonora was a composer. After the childless death of Diego Duarte in 1691, no Duartes remained in Antwerp.

Some 200 paintings of Diego's collection were inherited by his nephew Manuel Levy Duarte. Most were sold between 1693 and 1696.

Collection

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This incomplete list is based on the inventory of 1682, and uses the attributions given therein for what they're worth.

Notes

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  1. ^ Baker, Christopher (2003). Collecting prints and drawings in Europe, c. 1500-1750. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-7546-0037-4.

Further reading

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  • Johannes Gouw, Catalogus der Schilderijen van Diego Duarte, te Amsterdam in 1682, in De Oude Tijd Vol. 2, 1870 [1]
  • H. G. Dogaer, De inventaris der schilderijen van Diego Duarte, in Jaarboek van het Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen pages 195–221, 1971
  • Edgar R. Samuel, The disposal of Diego Duarte's Stock of Paintings, in Jaarboek van het Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen pages 305–324, 1976
  • Entry in the Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek
  • Timothy de Paepe, Diego Duarte ii (1612–1691): a converso’s experience in seventeenth-century Antwerp, in Jewish History Volume 24 (2010), Number 2, pages 169-193 [2]