Ari “Roosrik” Atte - Bastard Patron of the Arts

Ari “Fageir” Atte was the bastard son of Gunvald the Bald and Florina Tuva, one of his courtiers. Born in Kjerkeborj in 1622, he quickly rose to prominence in the art world, gaining the nickname, “The Artist”. He became a patron of many great artists, including Capitani, Benvenuto and Didacus, as well as the literary great Hennie Boon, who wrote Atteverhaal, the story of the Atte family. His shield can be described in heraldic terms as gules, per bend sinister argent a phoenix displayed gules. The portrait above was painted a few years before his death, at the age of 35, by another of his patrons, Jan Van Houten.