A Brush with Royalty: The Life and Art of Jean-Baptiste van der Hulst Born in Leuven, Belgium, in 1790, Jean-Baptiste van der Hulst emerged as a significant figure in the artistic landscape of the early 19th century. His life coincided with a period of immense political and social upheaval in Europe, events that would profoundly shape not only his personal trajectory but also the subject matter he chose to immortalize on canvas. While initially trained in the traditional Flemish style, van der Hulst quickly distinguished himself through an exceptional talent for portraiture, a skill that ult…