Scorel Jan van (1495-1562)
Netherlandish painter, architect and engineer. Born 1495 in Schoorl near Alkmaar. He attended the famous Latin school in Alkmaar and studied painting, probably under C. Buys. He was also influenced by the oeuvre of Jan Gossaert with whom he came into contact in 1515 in Urtecht. In 1518-20 he stayed in Italy; probably as the first Netherlandish artist, and went with a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem. He was active in Venice and Rome. He was appointed the master of antiquities in Rome by the Pope Hadrian VI, a Dutchman by birth. On his return to the Low Countries he settled down in Utrecht, where he became the canon of the St. Mary's Church. For some time he stayed in Haarlem. He died 1562 in Utrecht. He painted biblical and mythological scenes as well as portraits. He was one of those who transplanted the achievements of the Renaissance Italian art of Raphael and Michelangeo to the Netherlands.