Jacobus Cornelis Wijnandus Cossaar was born on 18 August 1874 in Amsterdam and passed away on 25 November 1966 in The Hague. His nickname was ‘Ko’, although he was often named Jan Cossaar in the literature. Perhaps because he signed his work with ‘J. Cossaar’. He started as a decor painter though developed into an all-round painter. Cossaar is particularly renowned in The Netherlands for his church interiors and exteriors. He painted the grand churches of France, Italy and England. He lived in The Hague since 1909. In the 1920s and 1930s he went through a period with more mystical work. Angels, depictions of mystical experiences and biblical depictions were often the topics in that period. He followed an education, amongst others, at the Royal Academy in London. He received subsidy in 1901 and 1902 from the Willink van Collen Fund. He was a member of Pulchri Studio and the ‘Haagsche Kunstkring’ in The Hague and Arti et Amicitiae in Amsterdam. His work can be found in, amongst others, the Drents museum in Assen, the Kelvin Art Gallery And Museum in Glasgow, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Centraal Museum in Utrecht.