(1658 - 1724)
Jakob Bogdani was born in Eperjes, Hungary, the son of painter Lucas Bogdani. He was educated in Eperjes and probably taught to paint by his father. He had moved to Amsterdam by 1685 and to London by 1688. In 1693, he married Elizabeth Hemmings and the couple had two children. One of his first commissions in the UK was for a set of flower designs for Queen Mary’s Closet at Hampton Court Palace (1694). He also made paintings for William III’s palace in the Netherlands (1700). Initially, he focussed on still-lifes but today he is best known for paintings of birds, game and small animals. Such was Bogdani’s success that he owned property in Finchley, Spalding and Hitchin. He died at his home in Lincoln Inn Fields, London, at the age of 66.
