Jacob Willemszoon de Wet orJacob Willemsz. de Wet the Elder (c. 1610 – between 1675 and 1691[1]) was aDutch Golden Age painter whose works were largely influenced byRembrandt.[2]
De Wet was born and died inHaarlem. Little is known of his early life. Houbraken mentions him in passing as an art dealer of Haarlem in his biographical sketch ofPhilips Wouwerman, referring to him as Jan de Wet.[3] Houbraken relates a story in which Philips Wouwerman burned his sketchbooks before his death, so that his brother Pieter wouldn't be able to use them and cash in on his name.[3] Houbraken claimed that the story was malicious gossip, but he had heard another story that was probably closer to the truth. Apparently afterPieter van Laer had returned to Haarlem, he received less for his art than in Rome, but he refused to lower his price.
When a landscape that van Laer had made was considered too expensive by Jan de Wet (a dealer), the buyer contracted the then young Philips Wouwermans to copy it, which he did quite well. The success of this transaction launched the career of the young Wouwermans at the expense of Pieter van Laer. Houbraken heard fromMichiel Carré who in turn heard it fromPieter Gerritsz van Roestraten andJacob de Wet that guilt had forced Wouwerman to burn the proof of all of his copies before he died.[3]
De Wet left a notebook that mentions a total of 34 pupils, most famouslyPaulus Potter.[1] Other notable pupils wereJob Adriaensz Berckheyde,Adriaen Jansz Kraen,Johann Philip Lemke,Jan Vermeer van Haarlem I (not to be confused withVermeer of Delft),Jacob de Wet II, and Kort Withold.[1] He became a member of theHaarlem Guild of St. Luke in 1632.[1] Judging from the number of pupils, and the difficulties his son Jacob II had with launching an independent career, it seems that De Wet had a large and successful practise in Haarlem. His son Jacob II was the only one of 5 children who also became a painter.[1]
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