Numan, Hermanus

Hermanus Numan was born in 1744 in Ezinge, in the municipality of Winsum in the northern Netherlands. Between 1759 and 1762, he worked with his father in a lacquerware factory in Groningen, learning decorative techniques that would inform his later artistic work. From 1762 to 1766, he apprenticed with Jan Augustini in Haarlem, working alongside Egbert van Drielst producing decorative wallpaper. This training in applied arts provided practical skills in composition, color, and decorative design. In 1768, Numan traveled to Paris to study engraving, expanding his technical repertoire and exposing himself to French artistic developments.

After his Paris sojourn, Numan moved to Amsterdam, where he would live and work for the rest of his life. In 1771, he studied under Jurriaan Andriessen at the Stadstekenacademie (City Drawing School), receiving formal training in fine art. He worked initially as a portraitist following his return to Groningen, but eventually specialized in landscapes, genre art, and architectural views. In the 1780s, Numan made country estates and parks his particular specialty, becoming renowned for his watercolor depictions of these ordered landscapes. His work as a watercolourist achieved recognition as among the finest in the Netherlands. He also worked as a set painter and decorator for theatrical productions, and pursued interests in art theory and publishing. In 1808, he became a fourth-class member of the Royal Institute of the Netherlands, official recognition of his artistic achievements. Numan died on March 9, 1820, in Amsterdam, leaving a substantial body of work that documented the Dutch landscape and architectural heritage of his era.