Jan van Gool

Johan, or Jan van Gool (1685–1763), was a Dutch painter and writer from The Hague, now remembered mainly as a biographer of artists from the Dutch Golden Age.

Jan van Gool was a pupil of Simon van der Does and Mattheus Terwesten. He became a member of the Confrerie Pictura in 1711. He was first regent, and then five years later became director, of the Hague Drawing School from 1720-1734. He spent most of his time in the Hague, but travelled to England twice and is recorded there in 1711. He specialized in Italianate landscapes.

He is best known today for his book of artist biographies, otherwise known as the "Nieuw Schouburg". The full title is De Nieuwe Schouburg der Nederlantsche kunstschilders en schilderessen: Waer in de Levens- en Kunstbedryven der tans levende en reets overleedene Schilders, die van Houbraken, noch eenig ander schryver, zyn aengeteekend, verhaelt worden. (The Hague, 1750). He meant this book as an update to the original "Schouwburg" written by his friend Arnold Houbraken, whose 3-volume Schouburg was written in order of birth year, ending with Adriaen van der Werff, born in 1659. Just as Houbraken before him, he starts his book with a tribute to his predecessors, most notably Karel van Mander and to Houbraken himself, noting however, that Houbraken included many insulting comments in his sketches that he felt were unnecessary. He starts with the artists that Houbraken left out, choosing for his first subjects two painters from the Hague, Jan van Ravensteyn and Adriaen Hanneman. He then proceeded to write short sketches in birth year order up to 1680, ending Volume I with Gerard Jan Palthe. In Volume II he continued from 1680 with Jan van Huysum and ended in 1700 with the brothers Bernard and Matthijs Accama.

His book contains many notes about Hague painters and the founding of the drawing academy in the Hague, where he lived and worked.