Helsenberg as drawn by friend Augustus van Niesburg, c.1522
Rickard Helsenberg (c.1480 in Grijzestad - 1544 in Niesburg) was a Brunanter master painter of the Renaissance era. He is mostly known for his Burgundian Bride of 1506.
Biography[]
Helsenberg's life is shrouded in mystery but there area few facts on him. He was born in Grijzestad around 1480, during the great Grijzestad Fire. Helsenberg traveled around Central and Western Europe in the late 1510s, painting his subjects. The rest of his early and later works were painted in Brunant. He made a lasting friendship with drawer and portraitist Augustus van Niesburg, who made the only known portrait of the master. Helsenberg became a tutor to Alexander van Haeve, another famous painter of the later renaissance age. Helsenberg died in 1544 and was interred in Niesburg at the city's cemetery.
Legacy[]
Helsenberg made over 40 portraits in a time of 20 years, with the earliest existing painting dating to 1504 or 1505. His Burgundian Bride, by far his best known work, was sold for only Th. 100 and he sold the Portrait of a French Duke (1518) for Th. 250. Helsenberg's works are now worth in the hundreds of thousands, or even the millions (The Burgundian Bride is valued at 9.5 million euros).
Selected works[]
| Date | Title | Current location | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1506 | The Burgundian Bride | National Museum of Art | 
|
| 1511 | The Widow | National Gallery | 
|
| 1512 | The Tax Collector | National Museum of Art | 
|
| 1518 | Augustus van Niesburg | Berlarehuis | 
|
| 1522 | A Young Woman | Private collection | 
|