RKD STUDIES

8.2 Wouwerman in the Lubbeling Collection

... ke a back seat: on the left-hand side a skeleton with a spear is depicted in its attack on the knight (the death); a diabolical dragon-like creature is lurking at the rider's feet in the middle of the image (the devil); and on the right-hand side, the personification of Chronos in the form of an old winged grim reaper riding a small donkey is visible (the time). The obligatory overturned hourglass lies on the ground at the feet of the knight, who pays little attention to what is happening and seems to be immune to the dangers. He is already on the right path – according to the general interpretation, on the path to true eternal life.In contrast to this is the Christian Knight in Geneva, made around 1662 [7]. Here the main character is much more active and present. The knight is shown with his weapons drawn, while the attackers are already defeated on the ground. The red cloak he is wearing over the armour flutters in the air, giving him more weight visually. The grey horse gallops to the left parallel to the picture and presents itself to the viewer in an advantageous manner. Although the knight wears shiny black armour, both the red cloak and the white horse make him stand out against the dark background. Through this effect he resembles an apparition. In the Boston version with the alternative title Knight, Death and Devil from 1662, the knight can finally be seen in action [8]. In this image, he is fighting against a whole host of dangers and demonic beings – including the seven deadly sins – with his sword held up high....

2.3 Unspecified Artworks

... a cat; two owls on skates; two frogs in armour and one in women’s clothing; two pigs dressed as farmers; two monkeys dancing and one making music.30 Perhaps the ‘delivered...

... the port city of Glückstadt in 1643, which was then part of the Kingdom of Denmark (nowadays located in Schleswig-Holstein).33 Perhaps Van de Venne offered the animal paintings to Frederick III as a gift, whether or not through an intermediary, in order to try to gain the favour of the Duke and thus obtain a commission. Not before has it been proposed that Oven...

... nce sum, Ovens managed to arrange the export of the marble portrait busts of Frederick III and Mary Elisabeth to Northern Germany at the end of 1662. The Amsterdam sculptor François de Saggere, the brother-in-law of Artus and Hubertus, for whom Ovens wrote a letter of recommendation, oversaw the transportation of the sculptures and their installation in niches in the ducal crypt.43 The ‘Marmorne Bildtnußen’ which Ovens sold to the court in 1654, certainly are not identical with the busts, since he only received a total of 474 Reichstaler and 20 Schilling for paintings and sculpture (see above).44Harry Schmidt assumed several smaller sculptures by Artus Quellinus I might also have come in the possession of the Dukes of Gottorf through Ovens’ intermediary activities, perhaps in conjunction with the commission for the sculptor to decorate the ducal graves.45 In the 1710 inventory of Gottorf Castle, namely, we find 1. ‘A woman offering her breast to a child, modelled by Quellin’, 2. ‘A shield of children, modelled by Quellin’, 3. ‘A lying child with a cross, smooth, and from the same master’ [23-26]. Interestingly, six small sculptures by Quellinus are recorded in the 1675 inventory of Gerrit Uylenburgh.46 It is not known when and from whom Uylenburgh acquired these works; perhaps he bought the statuettes from Quellinus himself....

9.4 Dutch and Flemish Paintings

... , were listed as ‘J. Breughel’ in the auction catalogue of 1829.67 At a later date, possibly when the small paintings were restored by the Morgenstern family in 1831, the signature was discovered on the latter. Consequetly, Ernst Friedrich Carl Prehn changed the artist’s name in the handwritten register of the catalogue into ‘Gÿzen’.68 This spelling of his name was used primarily by early biographers like Arnold Houbraken (1660–1719) and Johann Dominico Fiorillo (1748–1821), who’s characterisation of the artist seems is in line with his works in the Prehn collection: ‘His skies are too dark-blue, his trees too green, without the haziness and airiness that one perceives in distant objects’.69Quite a few of the smoothly executed landscapes as well as the rougher, mass-produced ones seem to derive from Antwerp cabinets, as one can tell by the characteristic narrow shape of the small panels and copper plates. Fine examples of such works are two landscapes in portrait format with Apollo and Daphne and Cephalus and Procris, attributed today to Hans Jordaens III (1595–1643),70 but in 1829 listed as ‘Brueghel’. A river scene in a narrow, landscape format was painted on the cut-out, reused back of a copperplate for Gerard de Jode’s (1516–1591) Atlas Speculum Orbis Terrarum; it was probably painted by Abraham Govaerts (1589–1626),71 who is known to have executed small paintings for Antwerp cabinets.The amount of Flemish history paintings in Prehn’s collections equals that of Flemish landscapes; with our new attributions, the number of history paintings is even higher. This group is dominated by sacred histories and contains only a few allegories and mythological themes, all of varying quality. There are routinely, often stiffly painted copies after engraved models, as well as high-quality individual paintings, such as the small, monogrammed Virgin and Child by Erasmus Quellinus II (1607–1678) of about 1640-1645, which probably also came from an Antwerp cabinet.72Evidently, Johann Valentin Prehn wanted to play with a variety of themes and references in the composition of his Miniature Cabinet; the quality of the individual paintings was of secondary importance. In the second box, he placed a very delicately painted teamwork by Jan Breughel I and Hendrick van Balen I (1573–1632) depicting Three Nymphs Eavesdropping on a Satyr in the upper row on the left side [21], combining it, on the right-hand side, with a clumsy and crude copy after an etching published by the Amsterdam print seller Clement de Jonghe (1624–1677) showing Venus and Cupid Sleeping, Watched by a Satyr [22]. With subtle humour, the confectioner created a contrast in quality but a coherence in the erotically tinged subjects, in which the active roles of the satyr and nymphs in eavesdropping or spying are reversed.73...

... of 1829, both trends of genre painting were equally represented in the Miniature Cabinet and the ‘larger’-sized painting collection. However, according to today’s attributions, the peasant genre clearly predominates, because the artists of several of these works listed in the 1829 auction catalogue as ‘unknown’, are now assigned to artists of the Dutch or Flemish schools. This applies, for example, to the ...

6.4 A Painter, a Palette, a Paper, and a Magnifier

... eplace Maria Theresa’s coat of arms.43 Although neither the date of the news item nor that of Seybold’s decree, 6 May 1745, is visible to beholders of the self-portrait, the relation between the date and the ratification of the appointment can hardly be coincidental. This deliberate ‘concealment’ of the date, which would have challenged a well-informed period viewer, forms a subtle, but ingeniously construed reference to the coveted status of court painter conferred to him by decree, to which emoluments and unalienable privileges were attached; though this position was not officially conferred upon him by the Viennese court until 16 July 1749, it was obviously hinted at by the double eagle in this portrait.The image of Seybold as a ‘court painter’ imposes itself once again on the beholder thanks to the painter’s palette on the little side table [46]. With this motif, Seybold refers to Alexander the Great’s court painter Apelles, the role model par excellence for painters who aspired to elevate their status. Like other painters from antiquity, Apelles’s palette consisted only of four colours, white, yellow, red and black, which enabled him to paint convincing portraits.44 On the palette, however, there is no black paint, although one could argue that the colour is represented by the dark thumbhole and by the newspaper’s black printing ink, at which the aforementioned brush, balanced in the thumbhole, is pointing. Again, with this motif the viewer is encouraged to look at the paper.Seybold’s self-fashioning as Rembrandt van Rijn and his imitation of the master are even further emphasised by the painted fragment which contains the words ‘über den R[hein]’, in which the river’s name ‘Rhein’ is partly hidden from view by his index finger, though the wording is known from the actual issue [47]. The intention for this phrase to be understood as a meaningful motif can also be deduced from the fact that the words ‘über den R[…]’ are underlined by the shadow of the paper’s horizontal fold. Although Rembrandt, from 1632 onwards, preferred to use only his first name, in imitation of Italian Renaissance Masters such as Titian and Raphael, he was also known internationally by his full name, which includes the toponym referring to the tributary of the river Rhine that flows through Rembrandt’s birthplace Leiden.45 Can ‘über den R[hein]’ even be interpreted literally in the sense of Seybold surpassing Rembrandt? No doubt, as court painter, Seybold eclipsed the Dutch master’s social status, and perhaps he also overshadowed Rembrandt with his hitherto highly admired neat handling of paint.While the Self-Portrait can be enjoyed without any background knowledge, it can only be fully appreciated after comparing the fictional motifs in the painting with historical reality. Only this particular day’s issue of the Wienerisches Diarium could have offered Seybold the unique opportunity to illustrate both his emulation of Rembrandt and the achievement of his professional pinnacle. By relating the contents of the newspaper to a source of inspiration and the stage of his career, he created a highly personalised iconography. It remains unclear for whom this self-portrait was originally intended, but most likely the individual in question was a well-informed art lover, who was a connoisseur of both Seybold and Rembrandt.46...

5.4 Counterpart Paintings or Companion Pieces by Contemporary Artists

... based in Brussels and later moved to Vienna, in the retinue of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm (1614–1662) .50 Until now, however, it was not known that the counterpart to Bys' painting can be identified with a Cartouche with a Garland of Fruit and a View of a Mountainous Landscape by van der Baren, now in Powis Castle, Wales [14].51 Bys closely followed Van der Baren's composition and mirrored the window with a view of a rocky landscape. Instead of fruit, he painted colourful flowers in shades of red and white, unlike Van der Baren's painting, where the grapes, corn and apples are yellow and green....

... owetz ordered from Bys; the painting ordered was intended as a counterpart to a hu...

2.2 Ovens and Gerrit Uylenburgh in the Gottorf Account Books

... d 250 Reichstaler for supplied paintings.20 The Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen owns several 17th-century Dutch paintings with the red Gottorf seal on the back. These works were transferred from Gottorf Castle to Denmark in the middle of the eighteenth century as spoils of war. Some of the paintings, including those by Balthasar van der Ast (1593/1594–1657) [5], Bartholomeus van Bassen (c. 1590–1652) [6], Maerten Boelema de Stomme (1611–1644) [7], Maerten Stoop (1618–1647) [8], Pieter Potter (1597/1600–1652) [9], Jan Coelenbier (c. 1610–1680) [10], and a work by Jan Brueghel I (1568–1625), Hendrick van Balen I (1573–1632) and Hans Rottenhammer I (1564–1625) [11], undoubtedly entered the collection in the time of Frederick III. The River Landscape by Coelenbier, who was one of Hendrick Uylenburgh’s financiers in 1640, might be one of the paintings acquired through Uylenburgh with Ovens acting as an intermediary.Two weeks later, on 26 June 1655, a ‘Dutch painter by the name of Davidt Uhlenburg’ was paid 74 Reichstaler for prints and ‘engraved pictures’ supplied to the Duchess Mary Elisabeth (1610–1684), Frederick III’s wife.21 The inscription of the name ‘Davidt’ was probably an error, and the recipient would have been Gerrit or one of his brothers.22 It seems likely that these were not two separate shipments, and that Gerrit Uylenburgh stayed with Ovens in Schleswig-Holstein for this short interval.As he had done in the 1650s, after his return to Schleswig-Holstein Ovens again supplied works of art to the court in Gottorf. On 5 January 1665 he received 71 Reichstaler ‘on behalf of Gerrit Uylenburgh’ for ‘rare books’ – probably late medieval breviaries – and engravings for the library of Duke Christian Albrecht.23 Ovens had apparently acted as an intermediary in the transaction. On the same day he was paid 130 Reichstaler himself for four frames or ‘Contrafaiethramen aus Ambsterdam’.24...

... 78 Reichstaler and 43 Schilling for engravings he had delivered to her, on 16 April of the same year he was paid 52 Reich...

2.2 Landscape, marine and architecture painting during Charles I

... a naval battle is one of the first realistic scenes of its kind [22].214 Indeed, it is not at all improbable that Porcellis was in England himself, since a ‘Jaquemyntjen Porcellis, jongedochter van London’ married an Antoni van Delden in Leiden in 1629.215 She was in all probability a daughter of the painter, given that a grandson of the artist was called Jan Porcellis van Delden.216 Various members of the Flessiers family were mentioned as being in England. Willem Flessiers (died 1670), Tobias Flessiers (1610-1689), Elisabeth Flessiers and Balthasar Flessiers II (c. 1605-1681?) were all in the country in 1637.217 Tobias seems to have been the marine painter referred to by Sanderson (Art of Painting, 1658) and Walpole. Charles I and Peter Lely owned some of his paintings while others were in the old collection in Ham House.218 Walpole also said that Flessiers painted still lifes and taught Marcellus Laroon I (c. 1648/9-1702), which is not out of the question, since the painter was still registered as being resident in London in Dutch certificates issued in 1663. We are not familiar with the seascapes by Gillis Schagen (1616-1668) referred to by Arnold Houbraken.219 It seems there were still no native English marine painters at this time.220...

... bury Cathedral and a number of topographical landscape sketches from the same area, in which he tends to follow the example set by Wenceslaus Hollar [26].224 Charles I also employed Hendrik van Steenwijck II (1580-1640) who spent some time in London in 1618.225 Bartholomeus van Bassen similarly spent a lengthy period in England.226 Amongst other assignments, both these artists were required to paint ‘perspectives’ for portraits by Hendrick Pot (1580-1657), Daniël Mijtens I (1590-1647) and Cornelis Jonson van Ceulen I (1593-1661).227 A work by Gerard Houckgeest (1600-1661) (who must therefore have been in London) was said to have been ‘a prospective piece painted by Houckgest and the Queens picture therein done by Cornelius Jonson – the dress unfinished’ – a painting whi...

... s concern for the fate of the imprisoned artist Johannes Torrentius (1588/9-1644). Perhaps Dudley Carleton had a hand in the matter once more. In 1630 Charles wrote to Frederik Hendrik requesting him to effect the painter’s release so that he might travel to London. Torrentius made his way to England in December of that year with a lett...

1.3 Honthorst, Poelenburch and Pot

... under Honthorst’s supervision on a large series of scenes from the Odyssey, which again had been commissioned by Carleton. Each of the eight pictures was to cost 200 guilders, and the artist was at pains to explain to the customer that this was a favourable price. However, there is no clear indication whether the paintings were ever delivered.45 This post-dated Honthorst’s stay in England, which lasted just a few months from April to December 1628. At that time, he concentrated on painting portraits in the manner of Mijtens, who was still in England. Needless to say, he made portraits of the king and queen as well as of other prominent figures such as George Villiers, 1st Du...

... facilitated by a recommendation from the Winter Queen (1596-1662). She was the sister of Charles I and from 1621 lived with her family in Rhenen, where she and her children took lessons in painting from Honthorst.49 The artist delivered several portraits of her English relatives dressed as shepherds.50...

1.2 Van Somer, Mijtens, van Mierevelt

... eiden on various occasions in between.22 His finely drawn portraits of leading figures and high-ranking individuals dressed in precious gold-embroidered robes, which the painter endeavoured to render with meticulous care, must have ...

... icers who served under the Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (1532-1588) in Holland gladly took the opportunity to have their portrait taken while they were there.38 In 1591, his nephew, Robert Sidney, subsequently 1st Earl of Leicester (1563-1626) sent a number of paintings from the Dutch Republic to England which ‘have cost a good deal of money’.39 Sir Dudley Carleton was an avid art lover who purchased works not only for Arundel and James I but also for himself. In 1616 he was in Haarlem, where he visited Cornelis van Haarlem, Hendrik Vroom and Hendrick Goltzius, who by that time was a very old man. In 1624 his wife had to travel to Vlissingen in poor weather to attend an art auction.40 Carleton’s predecessor as ambassador to The Hague, Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1639) [17], was also an art lover who regularly sent pictures to England.41...

Volume 3, page 150–159

... in commemoration of that deed.In the same way one also sees Alexander depicted on some of his coins, but he is aware that transported by a magnanimous disposition, he wanted to be seen as the son of Jupiter Hammon, will not think it strange that he gave his portrait a similar appearance to that of Jupiter (for the Africans honoured a horned image of Jupiter Hammon).But in general one should know that--------were wrapped up or hung with festoons of vegetation. Now the reader will have noticed that it is not all the same with which vegetation one decorates the altars, seeing that the custom of the times paid special attention to that, and priests and sac...

... man would have an entirely different meaning.We have therefore shown the procession of Bacchus as in a scene to inquisitive painting youths so that they may recognize that apparatus and hold to the use of olden days (where many have blundered). It pleases us for the same reason to introduce the celebration of the birthday of the god of wine in its entire elegance, dress, head decoration of the field and garden nymphs, their way of celebrating and how the sweet-toothed satyrs...

... nd youthful greenEach had made his own wreath and flower festoonGod Bacchus gave the wine and amidst the lusty toastingGave water to the creek to mix with the scarce wineThe feasting company was at last completedWith river najads, the one neatly decorated and dressedThe other with loose and unkempt hairThis served since knees and thighs were exposed,And with gathered dress up to the lap;And the other with the neck and pale bosom exposed;...

... Priapus (who tread softly on his toes)To where the pale nymph lay, and slept, along the lonesome path.And settles by her side without her awakeningIn the grass while he avoided the sound of his breath.He laughed in his fist, and firmly approaches the goalOf his love and had already lifted, quietly and sweetly,Her long dress from her maidenly feet:Just when the growling of Silenus sounded untimelyAnd brays gutturally, through which the young nymph, amazed,Jumps out of her sleep and escapes the hands of the garden god,And by her flight awakes all of the godsAnd all that had settled down to rest in the forest....

... ther joke nor amusement,)To where the Hebrus stream flows along sandy shoresTo where the Rodope looks over all the land,And where the bees hum on the Pangean flowersThe company there played on copper tympani,To which sound a swarm of bees, innumerable,Gathered and followed everywhere they went.But Bacchus shut up the swarm in one of the hollow trees,And then created the first fruit of the honeycomb,When the satyrs and Silenus, no matter how bald and old,Fell in love with the taste, for which they all struggle...

... oot:The cloven-hoofed community draws near and mocks the old soul,And laughs at his face, covered with red patchesWhile his damaged knee made him limp badly:Even Liber joined in the laughter ....The old, st...

... who out of curiosity do research about this in olden writings and consult linguists (as I also need to do) will discover that the Tentoria from which the name tents is derived, carry that name because they were stretched with cords and poles, which were mostly covered with skins of animals, called Pelles in Latin. In Livy there is often mention of skins with which the solders covered their tents in the winter. Klaudianus said of Stilikon that he has often carried on under the skins....

... serves that the coverings of the Holy Tabernacle were ram and badger skins, and with Exodus 35 verse 26 that the women spun goat’s hair to weave curtains for the tabernacle.Finally I find still another kind of tent which Vegetius calls CASAE because they were interwoven from green branches and covered with rush and water reeds. Ovid refers to them when he says.While another already braids a hut of green.With all this research I was not able to discover any indication that the patriarchs had tents made of boards, like our waffle stands, and the justification by the mentioned artist is risible...

... in that time were accustomed to drink before and also during weddings, and that this was not white but red wine is apparent from this, that no other wine is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, for which he adduced the spot in Isaiah 63, verse 2, Proverbs 23, verse 31 and many others. The learned man took great satisfaction in these good reasons, and was surprised by the well-practiced understanding of the painter.Then there was also an artist who rendered allegorically the situation of the Netherlands in the years 1567 and 1568, with a damaged...