Johannes (Jan) Symonsz van der Beeck was a Dutch painter also known by his alias, Johannes Torrentius. His libertine ways, and purported membership in the Rosicruciab order, led to his 1627 arrest and torture as a religious non-conformist and an alleged blasphemer, heretic, atheist, and Satanist. The 25 January 1628 judgment from five noted advocates of The Hague pronounced him guilty of "blasphemy against God and avowed atheism, at the same time as leading a frightful and pernicious lifestyle." It was widely believed that the condemned Torrentius' influence had affected Jeronimus Cornelisz, who led a bloody mutiny aboard the VOC ship Batavia in 1629.
Despite his reputation as a still life master, few of Torrentius' paintings survive, as his works were ordered to be burned after he was accused.
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