Jan Boumeester

Biographies

John Dilworth Cecie Stainer

John Dilworth

BOUMEESTER, Jan Born circa. 1629 Quakenbruck Germany, died 1681 Amsterdam Netherlands. Very significant early Dutch maker. Established in Amsterdam from 1653. Nephew through marriage of Gerrit Menslage, a luthier earlier established in the city. Both men worked in the Oude Kerk parish. His work is now exceedingly rare, but his was evidently one of the most important workshops in Amsterdam, probably employing Jan Vos, Gijsbert and Jacobus Verbeeck, Dirck ten Bos, as well as Boumeester’s son Harmanus. After his death in 1681, it was continued at first by his widow, then by his daughter Margareta, and finally by Jan Vos in 1704. Labels are reported with Boomeester’s name up to 1688. Highly refined work on Italianate lines. Full arch, but well modelled, with slightly elongated soundholes on an Amati form. Slightly large volute, but satisfyingly concentric and beautifully carved. Rich golden orange varnish, the whole effect sufficient to lead to earlier speculation that he was a pupil of Pietro Guarneri of Mantua. Unlike many subsequent Amsterdam makers he used conventional purfling rather than whalebone; very elegantly inlaid. Jean Boumeester / Amsterdam, 1680 Ian Boumeester / me fecit in Amsterdam / Anno, 1667 Ian Boumeester / me fecit in Amsterdam, / Anno 1664 [NGV]