Mandyn, Jan

(1502-c. 1560)

   Painter from Haarlem whose fantastic works are closely related to those of Hieronymus Bosch. Mandyn is recorded in Antwerp in 1530, with Gillis Mostaert and Bartholomew Spranger figuring among the pupils in his workshop. His Temptation of St. Anthony (1547; Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum) is his only signed work and has served as the basis for reconstructing his career. Like Bosch's fantasies about the follies of humanity, Mandyn's painting presents a landscape littered with bizarre objects and monstrous creatures who hassle the saint as he prays for strength. Mandyn was somewhat more conservative than Bosch in the peculiarities of his scenes, though they possess as much visual richness as Bosch's compositions. Other works by Mandyn include the St. Christopher with the Christ Child (c. 1550) at the Los Angeles County Museum and the Landscape with the Legend of St. Christopher (early 16th century) at the St. Petersburg Hermitage.