Hendrik de Fromantiou (1633 – after 1693) was a Dutch still life painter.

Portrait of de Fromantiou by anonymous

Early life edit

Fromantiou was born in Maastricht. In his youth, he produced works for the art dealer Gerrit van Uylenburgh in Amsterdam and from 1658, he was active in The Hague.

Career edit

In 1670, he was appointed as conservator of the royal collection in Potsdam. In 1671, when Van Uylenburgh tried to sell 13 paintings to Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, Fromantiou successfully advised the Elector to send 12 pieces back as forgeries. Fromantiou claimed the paintings were copies of Italian ones, and he could point out the originals in Holland. Included in the 51 people involved in the expertise, was Johannes Vermeer.

Personal life edit

In 1672 he married the daughter of the rich and successful fellow Dutch painter Philip Wouwerman. He died in Potsdam.

Gallery edit

External links edit