Joseph and Alexander Van Aken

Joseph van Aken by John Faber Jr, published by George Pulley, after Thomas Hudson, mezzotint, 1740s, 13 7/8 in. x 9 3/4 in. (352 mm x 249 mm) paper size © National Portrait Gallery, London

An independent scholar is seeking advice on the practice of the drapery painters Joseph (c.1699-1749) and Alexander (1701-1757) Van Aken/Vanhaecken:

From roughly 1725 to 1760 a large majority of British portraits’ clothing & landscapes were supposedly painted by the workshop of Joseph Van Haecken (d. 1749) and his brother Alexander. The link between him and Thomas Hudson is well documented between the similarities among Van Haecken’s sketches at Scotland’s National Gallery of Art and surviving portraits, but I have been unable to find any actual research that examines the similarities in a cross section of portraits to learn more about Van Haecken and his techniques.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Thank you.

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