Hendrick Cornelisz. van Vliet
Dutch, 1611-1675
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Hendrick Corneliszoon van Vliet was a Dutch Golden Age painter remembered mostly for his church interiors.
He studied under his uncle Willem van der Vliet and was admitted to the painters guild in Delft in 1632. He was good at perspective but later took up portrait painting with Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt. Van Vliet started out with architectural painting, particularly the painting of church interiors. Before him, architectural painting had been pioneered by Pieter Saenredam, who introduced innovative techniques of perspective. By mid century, architectural painting gained great popularity. Among the churches painted by Van Vliet are the Pieterskerk (Peter's Church) in Leiden, the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in Delft, and the Oude Kerk (Old Church) in Delft (Van Vliet would be buried in the latter in 1675). Emanuel de Witte and Gerard Houckgeest, also painted these Delft church interiors. Paintings of the tomb of William the Silent were quite popular.