Matthieu van Plattenberg Sold at Auction Prices

Naval painter, Landscape painter, Etcher, copperplate engraver, Draft draughtsman, b. 1608 - d. 1660

Matthieu van Plattenberg, known in France as Matthieu de Plattemontagne, Matthieu de Platte Montagne and Matthieu Montaigne (1607 or 1608 – 19 September 1660) was a Flemish Baroque painter, draughtsman, etcher and engraver who specialized in marine paintings and landscapes. He spent most of his career abroad, first in Italy and then in France where he played an important role in the development of the painting of stormy seascapes.

Matthieu van Plattenberg was born in Antwerp in 1607 or 1608. He was likely a pupil of the marine painter Andries van Eertvelt in Antwerp. He travelled together with van Eertvelt to Italy, where he worked in Florence.

From around 1630 he worked in Paris. He was active as a painter and copper engraver as well as a designer of embroidery patterns. In Paris, he studied under the Flemish émigré painter Jacques Fouquier who was a well-established landscape painter and printmaker.[3] Fouquier taught him how to etch.[4] In 1631 he married in Paris the sister of the French painter, engraver and publisher Jean Morin. Van Plattenberg and Morin collaborated on publishing projects for which van Plattenberg made the engravings.

In France, van Plattenberg called himself 'Matthieu (de) Platte-Montaigne' or 'Platte-Montagne' and also signed his works with '(M) Montagne' or '(M) Montaigne'. Plattenberg's success gained him favour at the royal court and he was awarded the title of 'Peintre du Roy pour les mers' (Royal painter of seas'). He was one of the founding members in 1648 of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture and remained a member until his death in Paris in the year 1660.