p. 51-55 School of Rembrandt, Miereveld, Van Ravestein, Frans Hals, Van der Venne, Gerard Honthorst, etc.
51 SCHOOL OF REMBRANDT.
The portrait of Admiral De Ruijter is very strong and very important. It bears the signature and date 1677. Engraved by W. van Senus [55].
The Fictor,1 is a Joseph explaining dreams in prison, a weak painting yet signed: Johanes Victors fc 1648 (1) [56].2
A rather heavy portrait of Czar Peter the Great is attributed to Aart de Gelder [57].3 Who is also credited with a kind of interior study, without figures: Vestibule with a staircase [58].4
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... sculptor Arthur Quellinus." – Artus Quellinus, the elder, born in Antwerp in 1609 and died in the same city in 1668, was commissioned by the administration of Amsterdam to make the marble and bronze statues, caryatids and bas-reliefs that adorn the interior and exterior of the old Town Hall on Dam Square. – On the Quellinus family, see Cat. of the Antwerp Museum, 1857.5
(1) The signature Jan Victors fc also appears on a painting in the museum in Frankfurt am Main (no. 154).6 The portrait of the Young Girl in the Louvre (no. 169) is signed Jan Fictoor f. 1640.7 Some biographers claim that this painter was Flemish and a pupil of Rubens, others that he was Dutch and a pupil of Rembrandt. One would be inclined to assume that Fictoor and Victors are not the same, especially since all the works attributed to these two names are not similar. The Fictoor in the portrait in the Louvre is undoubtedly Dutch and a very good follower of Rembrandt. The Victors I have seen are generally much weaker, for example the Prophetess Anna, signed J. Victor 1643, in the Van den Schrieck gallery in Louvain;8 however, the dates that follow both names are always about 1640 to 1650. Who can clarify the biography of this painter, about whom nothing is known?
55
Willem van Senus after Ferdinand Bol published by Kunsthandel Frans Buffa & Zonen and published by Willem van Senus
Portrait of Michiel Adriaensz. de Ruyter (1607-1676), dated 1841
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. RP-P-OB-59.421
56
Jan Victors
Joseph interpreting the dreams of the butler and the baker (Genesis 40:5-19), 1648 (dated)
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-451
57
possibly Anonymous Russia first half 18th century
Portrait of Peter the Great (1672-1725), tsar of Russia, first half 18th century
Amsterdam, Amsterdam Museum, inv./cat.nr. 394
58
attributed to Egbert Lievensz. van der Poel
Portal of a stairway tower, with a man descending the stairs: presumably the moment before the assassination of William the Silent in the Prinsenhof, Delft, 1640-1664
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-117
52 MUSEUM OF AMSTERDAM.
Under the name of Leonard Bramer [59] and under the name of Jacob Sandrart [60] we find two portraits of Pieter Cornelisz Hooft, bailiff of Muiden, both as a bust, in the same pose and with absolutely identical details. Only the first, very pale and very weak, is life-size; the second, very powerful and very freely executed, is small. It is clear that the large portrait is not an original; it is probably a copy of a portrait of the same size, for which the small portrait could be a study (1).9
But is this lively, warm study by Sandrart? Immerzeel attributes it to Theodor de Keijser.10 In fact, it belongs to the school of Rembrandt, by whom Theodor de Keijser was influenced, without perhaps having been a pupil of the master.
The large and illustrious de Keizer or Keijser family is a source of great embarrassment to biographers, who often confuse Hendrik, Pieter, Theodor, Willem and so on.11 For example, the Amsterdam catalogue attributes a "portrait of R. Hoogerbeets, with his wife and children" [61],12 to H. de Keizer, born in 156513 and died in 1621, – i.e. Hendrik (2), architect and sculptor, who is ...
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(1) The new cat. does not change this. It only tells us that this so-called Bramer was bought at public auction for 17 guilders (35 francs)! and the small sketch, attributed to Sandrart, for 14 guilders. By the way, the portrait was engraved by A. Bloteling, but perhaps after the original painting, which is not the one attributed to Leonard Bramer.
(2) The new cat. retains this attribution to Hendrik, the architect ...
59
Anonymous Northern Netherlands (hist. region) after 1642 after Joachim von Sandrart (I)
Portrait of Pieter Cornelisz. Hooft (1581-1647), after 1642
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-56
60
Joachim von Sandrart (I)
Portrait of Pieter Cornelisz. Hooft (1581-1647), c. 1641
Amsterdam, Amsterdam Museum, inv./cat.nr. SB 5814
61
Anonymous Northern Netherlands (hist. region) c. 1620-c. 1625
Portrait of a Couple and Four Children, c. 1620-c. 1625
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-201
53 SCHOOL OF REMBRANDT.
... seen as the creator of the statue of Erasmus in Rotterdam.14 This painting, hanging too high and in shadow, seems to be by Theodor, whose masterpiece we will find in the museum in The Hague.15 I will give some more information about the De Keijser family there. – An admirable portrait, relegated to the Unknowns, also bears a strong resemblance to Theodor de Keijser: Bernard Prevostius, Remonstrant minister (no. 372) [62].16
A good painting from the school of Rembrandt is a life-size bust of a Young girl in a window frame by Nicolaas Maas. The head is full of life and expression. Her left hand, placed on the window sill, is clasped in her hand.17 The overall color is a beautiful shade of red. Signed with the large letters common to the master [63].18 Engraved by Lange (1)[64].
The landscape, View of a Forest with a River, attributed to Philip Koninck, is neither as authentic nor worthy of our attention (2) [65].19
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... and sculptor, and gives a monogram we had not previously discovered: DK, the k formed within the D, and attached to the vertical style. But isn't this monogram, which does not indicate a first name, exactly Theodor's mark?
(1) From the Province of Groningen, purchased for 2,000 guilders in 1829 (new cat.).
(2) The new cat. erroneously writes: de Koning. The painter signs: ...
62
Anonymous Northern Netherlands (hist. region) c. 1640-1644
Portrait of Johannes Wttenbogaert (1557-1644), c. 1640-1644
Utrecht, Museum Catharijneconvent, inv./cat.nr. RMCC s42
63
Nicolaes Maes
Pondering girl in a window, c. 1654
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-245
64
Johannes Philippus Lange after Nicolaes Maes
A girl at the window, dated 1831
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. P-P-1908-2224
65
Philips Koninck
The Entrance to the Woods, 1650-1688
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-207
54 MUSEUM OF AMSTERDAM.
Jan Lijvens can be considered a follower of Rembrandt, with whom he was a friend. The portrait of J. van den Vondel attributed to him is not worthy of him, who was an able and energetic master (1).20
With the school of Rembrandt Pieter Saenredam21 is also associated, who is believed to have studied with Pieter de Grebber, who in turn is said to have studied with Rembrandt.22 De Grebber, in fact, works in the style of Rembrandt, as seen in his paintings at Huis ten Bosch in The Hague.23 The Rijksmuseum has two Views of the Interior of the Grote Kerk in Haarlem by Saenredam. One of these paintings is signed and dated 1636 [66][67].24 One of his masterpieces, View of the Old Amsterdam City Hall, is kept in the current City Hall [68].25
Finally, a painting on the name of K. Slabbaert is even closer to Rembrandt's style.26 It shows a Woman cutting bread (no. 258).27 The figure is in the style of Van den Eeckhout, and the background is somewhat reminiscent of Pieter de Hooch (2) [69].
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... Koninck (see Trésors d'art exposés à Manchester, etc., by W. Burger, p. 253ff.). Only 310 guilders was paid for this so-called Amsterdam Koninck at a very famous auction, that of G. van der Pot, in Rotterdam, in 1808.28
(1) Bought for 275 guilders at the auction of J. de Bosch, Amsterdam (new cat.).
(2) Auction Baronesse Van Leijde van Warmond, 1816, 841 guilders (new cat.).
66
Pieter Saenredam
Interior of the St Bavokerk in Haarlem, seen from the south ambulatory, looking across the choir to the north ambulatory and the large organ, dated 1636
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-359
67
Isaak van Nickelen
Interior of the church of St Bavo in Haarlem
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-360
68
Pieter Saenredam
The old town hall at Dam Square in Amsterdam, dated 1657
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-C-1409
69
Karel Slabbaert
Interior with an old woman who cuts bread for two children, 1640-1645
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-375
55 MIEREVELD, VAN RAVESTEIN, ETC.
We have skipped Gerard Dov here; he will be treated after the painters of large paintings.
MIEREVELD, VAN RAVESTEIN, FRANS HALS,29 VAN DER VENNE,30 GERARD HONTHORST, etc. – Shortly before the two artists – Rembrandt and Van der Helst – who best symbolize Dutch painting on a large scale, Holland already had a large number of very strong and highly original masters (1): Miereveld in Delft; Jan van Ravestein in The Hague; Frans Hals, born in Mechelen, but settled in Haarlem;31 Adriaan van der Venne, from Delft, who was the painter of Maurice of Nassau; Gerard Honthorst, whom Rubens visited during his 1627 trip to the United Provinces; – and many others.
The Museum of Amsterdam owns some examples of painters of this generation, born in the last half of the xvith century and who lived in the first half of the xviith century (2).
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(1) Van Haarlem I deliberately omit, born in 1562, died in 1637, although he had a great reputation in his time and is still highly esteemed by the Dutch. But he had sacrificed Dutch originality to the Italian fashion, which prevailed for a while in the xvith century. The Amsterdam Museum has by him: Adam and Eve and The Infanticide, in pseudo-Florentine style, and a poor portrait of D.V. Koornhert. The Infanticide is dated 1590, and Adam and Eve, 1592, both with the double CC – Cornelis Corneliszoon (son of Cornelis) – and the H of: Haarlem.32
(2) Of the previous generation, from the beginning ...
Notes
1 See on Jan Victors also the annotations by Thoré-Bürger opp. p. 48 and opp. p. 60 (1/2).
2 Jan Victors, Joseph Interprets the Dreams of the Baker and the Butler, 1648, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-451; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 29, no. 310, Victors (J. J.), Jozef in de gevangenis de droomen uitleggende (Joseph in Prison Explaining the Dreams (tax.: fl. 1,000); Amsterdam 1858, p. 154-155, no. 343.
3 Anonymous, Peter the Great, tsar of Russia, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-116; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 11, no. 87, Gelder (Aart de; 1645-1727), Portret van den Russischen Czaar Peter de Eerste (Portrait of the Russian Czar Peter the First) (tax.: fl. 1,000); Amsterdam 1858, p. 46, no. 92, as by Arent de Gelder.
4 Attributed to Egbert Lievensz. van der Poel (1621-1664), Portal of a stairway tower, with a man descending the stairs: presumably the moment before the assassination of William the Silent in the Prinsenhof, Delft, 1640-1664, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-117; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 11, no. 86, Gelder (Aart de; 1645-1727), Een Portaal met een' opgaanden Trap (A Portal with an' ascending Staircase) (tax.: fl. 800); Amsterdam 1858, p. 46, no. 93, Aart de Gelder (1645-1727;...), Een Portaal (A Portal).
5 Indeed, both a sculptor (namely Artus Quellinus) and an architect (Jacob van Campen) have been suggested as the sitter.
6 Presumably: Jan Victors, Boaz Receives the Shoe from the Heir of Chiljon and Machlon, c. 1651-1653, Frankfurt am Main, Städel Museum, inv. no. 581.
7 Jan Victors, Young Girl at a Window, 1640, Paris, Musée du Louvre, inv. no. 1286.
8 Jan Victors, Hannah Prays in the Temple and Vows to Give her Child to the Lord, 1643, Dordrecht, Dordrechts Museum, inv. no. DM/861/327. See also the remarks by Thoré-Bürger opp. p. 60 (1/2).
9 After Joachim von Sandrart (I), Portrait of Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Bailiff of Muiden, Historian and Poet, after 1642, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-56; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 6, no. 38, Bramer (Leonard; b. 1596), Portret van (Portrait of) Pieter Cornelisz. Hooft (tax.: fl. 300); Amsterdam 1858, p. 20, no. 41, as by Leonaert Bramer. Joachim von Sandrart (I), Portrait of Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, Bailiff of Muiden, Historian and Poet, c. 1641, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-364; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 25, no. 249, Sandrart (Jacob or Joost; 1606-1673), Portret van den Drossaert Pieter Cornelisz. Hooft (Portrait of the Bailiff Pieter Cornelisz. Hooft (tax.: fl. 500); Amsterdam 1858, p. 127, no. 281.
10 Immerzeel 1842-1843, vol. 2, p. 107.
11 Distinguished today are Hendrick de Keyser (I), father of architect/sculptor Pieter de Keyser, painter Thomas de Keyser, architect/sculptor Willem de Keyser and architect/sculptor Hendrick de Keyser (II).
12 Anonymous, Portrait of a Couple and Four Children, c. 1620-1625, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-201; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 16, no. 153, Keizer (Henrik de; 1565-1621), Portret van Rombout Hoogerbeets, met zijne Echtgenoot en Kinderen (Portrait of Rombout Hoogerbeets, with his Spouse and Children (tax.: fl. 300); Amsterdam 1858, p. 78, no. 168, as by Hendrick de Keyser (I), Portrait of Rombout Hoogerbeets with his Spouse and Children. See also the annotations by Thoré-Bürger opp. p. 60 (2/2).
13 The second '5' in '1565' has been crossed out and replaced in the margin by a 6, thus '1566'.
14 Hendrick de Keyser (I) & Jan Cornelisz. van Oudenrogge, Portrait of Desiderius Erasmus, 1622, bronze cast, City of Rotterdam.
15 Thomas de Keyser, The Four Burgomasters of Amsterdam Learning of the Arrival of Maria de’Medici on 1 September 1638, 1638, The Hague, Mauritshuis, inv. no. 78 (on long-term loan to the Amsterdam Museum, inv. no. SB 5755, since 1980).
16 Anonymous, Portrait of Johannes Wtenbogaert, c. 1640-1644, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-580; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 35, no. 372 [under Unknown masters, Portraits], Bernardus Prevostius, Remonstrants Predikant (Preacher) (tax.: fl. 50); Amsterdam 1858, p. 187, no. 418, as Portrait of Bernardus Prevostius, (Remonstrant Preacher)..
17 Her right hand rests on a cushion on the windowsill, and her left hand supports her chin.
18 Nicolaes Maes, Girl at a Window, c. 1650-1660, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-245; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 17, no. 169, Maas (Nicolaas; 1632-1693), Een jong Meisje, liggende uit een Venster (A Young Girl, reclining from a Window (tax.: fl. 5,000); Amsterdam 1858, p. 86, no. 188. The signature takes the form of an incised inscription in the windowsill.
19 Philips Koninck, The Entrance to the Woods, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, SK-A-207; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 16, no. 155, Koning (Philip de; 1619-1689), Een Bosch- en Riviergezigt (A View of Woods and River) (tax.: fl. 2,000); Amsterdam 1858, p. 79, no. 171.
20 Govert Flinck or attributed to Jan Lievens, Portrait of Joost van den Vondel, in or after 1663, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-218 (on loan to the Amsterdam Museum, inv. no. SB 5771, since 1975); Aanwijzing 1853, p. 17, no. 164, Livens (Jan; b. 1607), Portret van (Portrait of) Joost van den Vondel (tax.: fl. 200); Amsterdam 1858, p. 86, no. 187.
21 Thoré-Bürger wrote down in the margin: 'and K. Slabbaert works in the style of [Rembrandt]’. See also the annotations by Thoré-Bürger opp. p. 60 (2/2).
22 Saenredam was a pupil of Frans Pietersz. de Grebber, not of the latter’s son Pieter de Grebber. See also the annotations of Thoré-Bürger on Saenredam and the De Grebbers on the pages opp. p. 60 (1/2 and 2/2).
23 This refers to Pieter de Grebber, Part of the Triumphal Procession with Sacrificial Bull, 1650; The Apotheosis of Frederik Hendrik, 1650; Putti with the Name of Jehova, 1650; Part of the Triumphal Procession with Standard-Bearers and Spoils of War, 1650, The Hague, Paleis Huis ten Bosch. ). Thoré-Bürger has crossed out the entire passage ‘With the school….in The Hague’ and noted down in the margin in pencil: ‘Non Saenredam, à refaire’, meaning that he planned to rewrite this passage, taking out Saenredam, whom Thoré-Bürger considered no longer to be a member of the Rembrandt school. See also the annotations by Thoré-Bürger on the pages opp. p. 60 with information on Saenredam and the De Grebbers.
24 Pieter Saenredam, Interior of the St Bavokerk in Haarlem, 1636, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-359; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 24, no. 248, Saenredam (Pieter; 1597-1666), Dezelfde Kerk, een ander gedeelte (The same Church, a different part) (tax.: fl. 1,500); Amsterdam 1858, p. 126, no. 277. Isaak van Nickelen, The Interior of Saint Bavo's Church in Haarlem, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-360; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 24, no. 247, Saenredam (Pieter; 1597-1666), Een gedeelte van de Groote Kerk te Haarlem van binnen (A part of the Groote Kerk in Haarlem from the inside) (tax.: fl. 400) Amsterdam 1858, p. 125, no. 276, as by Pieter Saenredam.
25 Pieter Saenredam, The Old Town Hall of Amsterdam, 1657, Amsterdam, Amsterdam Museum, inv. no. SA 8361 (on loan to the Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-C-1409, since 1945).
26 Thoré-Bürger has crossed out ‘Finally’ and ‘on the name of’, replacing these with the words ‘The’ and ‘good’. He also crossed out ‘is even closer to Rembrandt's style’. This results in: ‘The good painting of K. Slabbaert shows a Woman cutting bread (no. 258)’.
27 Karel Slabbaert, Interior with an Old Woman Cutting Bread and Two Children in Prayer, c. 1640-1645, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-375; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 25, no. 258, Slabbaert (Karel), Eene Vrouw brood snijdende (A Woman cutting bread) (tax.: fl. 1,500); Amsterdam 1858, p. 129-130, no. 289.
28 Burger 1857, p. 253-254.
29 See on Frans Hals also the notes by Thoré-Bürger opp. p. 60 (1/2).
30 See on Van de Venne's monogram also Thoré-Bürger's notes opp. p. 60 (1/2), and below, p. 62.
31 Frans Hals I was not born in Mechelen but in Antwerp; the family was first mentioned in Haarlem in 1591.
32 Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem, The Fall of Man, 1592, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-129; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 15, no. 92, Haarlem (Cornelis van; 1562-1638), Adam en Eva in het Paradijs (Adam and Eve in Paradise) (tax.: fl. 1,000); Amsterdam 1858, p. 49-50, no. 102. Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem, The Massacre of the Innocents, 1590, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-128; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 15, no. 93, Haarlem (Cornelis van; 1562-1638), De KIndermoord te Bethleham (The Infanticide at Bethlehem) (tax.: fl. 5,000); Amsterdam 1858, p. 49, no. 101. After Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem, Dirck Volkertsz Coornhert, Writer and Engraver, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-A-127; Aanwijzing 1853, p. 15, no. 94, Haarlem (Cornelis van; 1562-1638), Portret van (Portrait of) Dirk Volkertz Koornhert (tax.: fl. 100); Amsterdam 1858, p. 48, no 100.