page_title: Guillam Forchondt the Elder
section_title: Life
hierarchical_section_title: Guillam Forchondt the Elder / Life
context_page_description: Willem Forchondt, or Guillam Forchondt the Elder was a Flemish painter, cabinet maker and art dealer. His international art dealership played an important role in the spread of Flemish Baroque art in Europe and South-America. He changed the relationship between art dealer and artist by becoming himself involved in the organisation of the art production process.
context_section_description: He was born in Antwerp as the son of the ebony worker and art dealer Melchior Forchondt the Elder, originally from Breslau, and the brother of Melchior the Younger.  Melchior the Elder made his name dealing in ebony cabinets that were decorated with oil paintings, that he commissioned from members of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke.
  Young Guillam grew up in this artistic milieu and became a member of the guild in 1632 as "winemaster", which meant his father was still a member at the time.  Like his father he was also skilled as a maker of cabinets. When his father died  in 1633 Guillam took over the business. He married Maria Lemmens on 3 August 1636.  The couple had 8 children among whom are known:
  Alexander (1643–1683) trained as a pharmacist and became an art dealer for his father in Vienna while also being court jeweler for Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.  He takes over the leadership of the Forchondt firm when his father dies in 1670 until he dies himself in 1683.
  Melchior III (1641–1708) became a painter and goldsmith and stayed in Venice, Paris, Vienna, Prague, Linz and Passau
  Marcus (1651–1706) became a painter and jeweler and stayed in Vienna and Linz
  Susanna (1637–1711) never married and left a legacy including the family archives
  Marie-Anna
  Justo travelled to Lisbon and later Cadiz where he stayed on for the family business until his return to Antwerp in 1707. were sold off.
  Andreas (1650-1675) also travelled to Cadiz He was internationally renowned as an art dealer and financier.  He lived in the former house of Rubens in the centre of Antwerp.  Upon his death in 1710 the business activities of Forchondt family ceased and its assets were distributed.
  Guilliam Forchondt the Younger (1645–after 1677) was the only son to train as a painter.  He traveled first with his brothers to Vienna and Linz and later to Lisbon and Cadiz.  He would later carry on the family business possibly together with his mother.
  With the help of this network of family connections in Europe Forchondt was able to turn his father's business into an international art and luxury goods enterprise.  The many clients of the Forchondt firm included prominent personalities of the time such as the Emperor of Austria and the Princes of Liechtenstein.  Around 1700 Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein acquired from the Forchondt firm two masterpieces of Rubens: the Massacre of the Innocents and Samson and Delilah.
  Guillam Forchondt died in Antwerp.
caption: The departure of the Israelites, likely another collaboration with Willem van Herp
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