Jan Soens (Dutch pronunciation:[jɑnˈsuns]; c.1547 – c.1611), also known as Giovanni Sons, was a Dutch painter from 's-Hertogenbosch who mainly worked in Italy.
According to Karel van Mander he moved to Antwerp to live with a schoolmaster named Jacob Boon, whereupon he taught himself the rudiments of painting.[1] After becoming proficient, he moved in with the painter Gillis Mostaert, and assisted him creating landscape paintings in the manner of Gillis' twin brother Frans Mostaert.[1] A few of these early landscapes could be seen in Amsterdam at the home of Hendrick Louwersz Spieghel at the time Karel van Mander was writing in 1604.[1] Soens and he had met during Karel van Mander's trip to Italy, where Soens made small pieces on copper for the Pope in Rome.[1]
According to the RKD he was in Rome from 1573 and in Parma from 1575.[2] He was particularly active from 1575 with the Farnese in Rome, and in Piacenza and Parma in the early seventeenth century.[3] He painted history works, such as the manneristJupiter and Antiope,[4] as well as religious paintings reflecting the Council of Trent's decrees on art and Counter Reformation ideals of clearly represented piety.[5] He died in Parma between 1611 and 1614.
