Portraits from Rembrandt's World in the spotlight
With around forty portraits from the Golden Age, 'Portraits from Rembrandt's World' provides an overview in a sale exhibition of seventeenth-century portraiture. Five of the paintings are discussed in detail here. They provide a good example of the diversity of the portrait.
MICHIEL JANSZ VAN MIEREVELT
Delft 1567 - 1641 Delft
Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt was one of the most celebrated portrait painters of his day. His reputation was based principally on his skill in achieving a perfect likeness. Moreover, he surpassed many of his contemporaries in the three-dimensional quality of his faces, the splendid detail of the clothes and the pleasant play of light.
From 1604, Mierevelt regularly took on commissions for paintings at the stadholder court in The Hague. One of his first subjects in this circle was Louise de Coligny, widow of William of Orange. Prince Maurice, who hated posing, gave the artist just one opportunity in 1607 to paint 'from life'. All subsequent portraits of the Prince are based on the sketches made on that occasion, with Mierevelt adapting the appearance and hairstyle to the subject's actual age.
Mierevelt's first portrait of Frederick Henry (1584-1647), youngest son of William of Orange, and brother and successor of Prince Maurice, dates from around 1610. Until about 1637, Mierevelt's studio remained suppliers to the court of state portraits. Later, Gerard van Honthorst and his colleagues took over the position.
This portrait of Frederick Henry is a version of the painting that Mierevelt created in 1632 of the Prince. The very first of these was probably commissioned by the States of Holland or the municipality of The Hague. Similar three-quarter length portraits are kept at the Upper Chamber of the States General and at the Hague Historical Museum (from the town hall of The Hague).
This painting is a bust of the Prince wearing the order of the Garter. With his robust, blushing face, he turns towards us with serious but lively eyes. It shows why Mierevelt was such a celebrated artist. The head in the portrait is nicely composed and beautifully executed. The hair of the moustache, beard and eyebrows is almost tangibly detached from the skin. While the effect of the shadow is to separate the Stadholder's face from the background. Special attention has been paid to the detail of the fashionable lace collar and the costly items of dress armour, with its copper inlay decoration. The use of colour is subtle: the greys of the armour and hair unite the figure, while the ribbon of the Garter provides an attractive colour highlight.
One modern detail in the painting is the oval stone cartouche with scroll decoration that surrounds the depiction of the Prince. This motif, found originally in prints, has a twofold purpose: it gives the composition depth and it literally creates a framework for the portrait. Gerard van Honthorst turned this kind of oval frame into a highly popular feature in Dutch portraiture. Even Rembrandt used it, as in his portrait of Amalia van Solms of 1632, currently in Musée Jacquemart-Andrée in Paris.
JAN DE BRAY
Haarlem 1627 - 1697 Haarlem
With his virtuoso, almost impressionist, painting technique, Frans Hals dominated portraiture in Haarlem during the first half of the seventeenth century. In contrast to Rembrandt, Hals never founded a school or an academy, a fact that has always been attributed to the changing taste of the time. In Haarlem, figure painting evolved more along the lines of a European-oriented academicism with smoothly painted, academically drawn figures. Around the middle of the century, however, the gulf between Hals and other Haarlem artists had become so wide that the time was ripe for a new generation of portraitists, the most important of whom was Jan de Bray.
Jan de Bray (1627-1697) came from a family of artists. His father was the history painter Salomon de Bray and his mother was a member of the Westerbaen family from The Hague. Portraits by his hand are known from around 1650 onwards. Although these were originally single portraits, it is possible that he received commissions to paint group portraits, and he was also active as a history painter. Jan de Bray's style of painting echoes that of the Haarlem academicians, but the bearing of his models and the composition of his groups reveal the influence of Frans Hals.
This portrait of an unknown man dates from the early years of Jan de Bray's career as a portraitist. The man's attire can be dated between 1650 and 1660: the white linen ruff, fastened by a tasselled chord - so-called akers - was fashionable at that time. The fine linen and flossy tassels have been vigorously rendered and beautifully reflect the light. A striking feature is the black velvet cape, thrown over the right shoulder. This type of cloak, which was also sometimes draped around the waist, was the vogue in Spain towards the end of the sixteenth century and remained popular for a long time.
In this picture the black plane of the cape closes the composition at the front, forming as it were a repoussoir. Depth is created by a circular-shaped movement in the figure: beginning at the shoulder, the upper arm and elbow extend forward, while the lower arm points slightly backwards, a movement continued by the finely executed hand reaching forward. The hand occupies a focal position in the light, thus highlighting the superb modelé and life-like colours. The white cuff is just visible at the wrist. The hand sets up a hypothetical diagonal line that forms a link with the superb plastic rendering of the face. The man's rosy countenance brings a striking colour accent to the otherwise virtually monochrome picture, while his dark eyes stare out at the viewer with a friendly, yet penetrating, gaze. The long hair forms the apex of a dark triangle made up by the figure of the man against the uniform grey background.
Everything in the composition is directed towards bringing depth to the picture. The pose is not a common one, but is seen occasionally in both Rembrandt and Frans Hals's oeuvre. Rembrandt used the pose in portraying his fellow-artist Hendrick Maertensz. Sorgh in 1647, as did Frans Hals in 1649 in his portrait of the celebrated philosopher René Descartes, the original of which is now lost. We have a good idea of the composition, however, from several copies and the (mirror image) engraving by Jonas Suyderhoef.
Despite these influences, Jan de Bray was a highly original artist. Whether working with a finely applied or somewhat looser brush, De Bray always went further than simply capturing the outward appearance of his models.
PHILIP VAN DIJK
Oud-Beijerland 1683 - 1753 The Hague
Towards the end of the seventeenth century regional painting schools started to give way to a uniform style. The turn of the century saw a shift in mentality in the Republic as Dutch merchants changed from hard-working entrepreneurs into prosperous regents, who spent their summers relaxing in their country houses, while in the winters they frequented the comfortably furnished rooms of their town residences. This life style was also reflected in the art of the time.
Furniture became more luxurious and elegant, pictures smaller and more refined. This development reached its zenith with the Rococo style, which owed its inspiration mainly to French artists, many of whom had had to flee their country for religious reasons and travelled through Europe disseminating these new influences.
Philip van Dijk (1683-1753) is a typical representative of the art of the end of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth centuries. He painted history pieces, genre scenes and portraits in a fine, but vigorous style. His work, however, was still thoroughly rooted in the seventeenth-century tradition, following in the footsteps of such masters as Nicolaas Maes and Johan van Haensbergen.
Philip van Dijk was born in the small village of Oud-Beijerland, a stone's throw from Rotterdam. His first teacher was probably the fijnschilder Adriaen van der Werff, who achieved great fame in his life time. In 1719 Philip van Dijk settled in The Hague. Van Dijk was also active as an art dealer and advisor to important collectors such as the Griffier, the Count of Wassenaer van Obdam, and the Schuylenburch family. He also acted as advisor to Stadholder Prince William IV, for whom he bought art works at auctions, such as Rembrandt's Simon in the Temple (now in the Mauritshuis). The Prince also had many of Van Dijk's own works in his collection and regularly gave the painter important portrait commissions. Through the Stadholder's court Philip van Dijk came into contact with the landgrave of Hessen-Kassel who appointed him his court painter. Van Dijk died in 1753 in The Hague.
These portraits are typical examples of Philip van Dijk's work in this genre. They are vigorously painted while at the same time exhibiting a refined elegance, highlighting Van Dijk's remarkable skill as both a colourist and stuff painter.
The portrait of the man is executed in deep, strong colours, whereas that of the woman is dominated by softer tones. We see her gazing out with a dreamy expression and a charming smile. Exceptionally beautiful is the combination of the pink of her shawl set off against the red-brown of the curtain behind the figure. The deep green of the velvet gown - a loosely falling style with a triangular decolleté, which is typical of Van Dijk's portraits - has also been exquisitely captured. We do not know whether such gowns were really worn or whether the painter simply thought they enhanced his portraits, providing as they do an opportunity to display his skills in rendering costly materials. The latter seems more likely as the striking gown, fastened only by a small broach, seems unsuitable for moving around in.
The portrait of the man, however, creates a more powerful impression, with his rosy countenance and sharply defined features. He is clad in the fashionable apparel of his time, wearing a well-cut grey jacket (just-au-corps) with silver embroidery. The blue satin lining visible at the neck and cuffs corresponds tellingly with the blue of the Persian carpet, hanging to the right of the balustrade. The red of the cloth returns in the velvet drapery and silk curtain that close the composition on the left.
On the right the picture offers a view through to a beautifully laid-out garden, with high-trimmed hedge and garden sculpture that suggest a country residence.
An eighteenth-century painter working in the seventeenth-century tradition, Philip van Dijk combines the vigour of his predecessors of the Golden Age with the elegance and colouristic splendour of his own time.
ARENT DE GELDER
Dordrecht 1645 - 1727 Dordrecht
Arent de Gelder was one of Rembrandt's last pupils. Given his date of birth (1645) he cannot have moved from his native Dordrecht to Amsterdam much earlier than 1660. At this time Rembrandt was coming to the end of his career and his painterly style was dominated by a marked dynamism. It was precisely this typical and immediately recognisable style that De Gelder mastered during his time with Rembrandt. This manner of painting is hallmarked by a sombre colourism of browns, red and ochres; a broad and relatively plastic brushstroke, and strongly contrasting light emanating from an invisible source. Aert de Gelder continued to work in this style throughout his life, even when it was already considered old-fashioned. A possible explanation for this could be that De Gelder came from a wealthy family and painted more out of pleasure than necessity. History pieces predominate in De Gelder's oeuvre which only contains one or two portraits.
Among De Gelder's rare portraits are these two exceptional pendants which are distinguished by their intimate and unassuming resonance. Arent de Gelder appears to have made little effort to enhance the looks of the man and his wife. Their faces are, as it were, modelled in paint with little attention to detail. This serves to emphasise the 'essence' of the two figures, creating an extremely 'direct' impression.
It is striking that the couple look almost straight out at the viewer rather than being turned towards one another. Furthermore they are placed relatively low down in the picture plane, at the meeting of both hypothetical diagonal lines. The space around the figures has been left empty. De Gelder's unusual composition and unflattering use of paint has resulted in two extremely intimate and 'true-to-life' portraits.
There is a world of difference between these small, informal paintings and De Gelder's other well-known portraits, and one wonders whether these two portraits were made for personal reasons. Alongside several other pictures, the inventory of De Gelder's estate of 1727 mentions the likenesses of the artist's parents, Mr and Mrs De Gelder-Loteringh. They cannot be identified with any certainty, however, as no other portraits of them are known. Nevertheless the couple portrayed appear to be around 50 years of age and this would tally with that of De Gelder's parents around 1670.
In these intimate portraits Arent de Gelder shows himself to be a faithful pupil of Rembrandt, closely following the work of his master both, in his use of paint and light.
ADRIAEN VAN DE VELDE
(Amsterdam 1636 - 1672 Amsterdam)
From around 1625 so-called historicising portraits became the vogue. In these pictures the figures were depicted in imaginary clothing, either inspired by classical antiquity or by a fanciful and idealised pastoral existence. This development was seen in both history painting and literature.
This genre was prompted by the pastoral romance which conjured up an idealised image of an idyllic world in which carefree shepherds and shepherdesses disported themselves in arcadia. This appealed particularly to the nobility and patrician classes, the pastoral romance forming an escape for the affluent urbanite from hectic city life. But although many well-to-do families owned a country retreat, it certainly did not spell a return to the simple country life.
Paulus Moreelse, and particularly Gerard van Honthorst - both of whom came from Utrecht - were the first to apply the pastoral romance to portraiture. This genre was popularised by the next generation of artists, who commanded a wider clientele than the court painter Honthorst. The chief representative of this style in Amsterdam was Bartholomeus van der Helst, but several of Rembrandt's pupils, such as Ferdinand Bol, also depicted their models in the guise of a shepherd or mythological hero. It is frequently unclear, however, whether this type of picture is a portrait or a genre scene, as exemplified by Ferdinand Bol's painting, illustrated here, which could equally well be either.
Adriaen van de Velde ranks as one of the most celebrated landscape painters of his time. Portraits such as this, set in a landscape, are rare in his oeuvre. The execution of the landscape and the figures is both brilliant and detailed. Depicted in the foreground are soft mosses and towards the back we see a shepherd standing in a field in the midst of his sheep.
Although the landscape in this picture could be a realistic depiction of the dune landscape around Haarlem, the figures are sporting brightly coloured, imaginary attire. This type of portrait historié was extremely fashionable at the time; it was also highly practical. By having themselves portrayed in a timeless costume inspired by classical antiquity, the owners - for generations to come - were assured of never having an out-moded picture on their walls.
The green of the trees and the brown of the sandy path form a perfect foil for the strong colours of the classical attire. The man's apparel - a brown velvet tunic with a purple cloak and Roman sandals - is the most arresting. His young son is depicted riding a (contemporary) goat cart dressed in similar clothing in yellow material with an orange sash draped over his shoulder. His elegant cap bedecked with white plumes lends him a fantastical appearance. By contrast the mother's blue dress and hairstyle are more in keeping with the fashion of the time. The floral garland in her lap, however, reminds us that she, too, is in arcadia.
The picture contains many allusions to the family's virtuous life. The floral garland in the woman's lap is not only a typical pastoral attribute, but also refers to her chaste married life. And the lively brown and white hunting dog, which is accorded a central position in the composition, also alludes to marital fidelity. The goat cart is another frequently recurring motif in seventeenth-century pictures. The goat is the symbol of lust and desire, and the reined goat is probably intended to suggest that a good upbringing has taught the young boy to control his desires.
This fanciful family portrait is a masterpiece by the young, talented Adriaen van de Velde, who was only 19 years old when he painted it and who, not surprisingly, went on to become one of the most celebrated landscape and animal painters of the Golden Age.