Gallery

Oil on copper:
13.3 x 10.3 cm (oval)
Inscription: Etatis, 27, 1655

Provenance: Sale Amsterdam (Sotheby’s), 5 May 2009, lot 70 (as Haarlem School, Seventeenth century)

Literature: Joos van Craesbeeck (1605/06-ca.1660). Een Brabants genreschilder (Pictura Nova XI), Turnhout, 2006.

This small tronie on copper shows the head of a coarse man pulling faces. He is depicted in profile against a loam colored background, his expressive face turned towards the viewer. He is wearing an olive green jacket finished with a white collar. His matching and plumed hat partially covers his half-long tousled and curly hair.

The 2009 auction catalogue of Sotheby’s stipulated that “clearly made under the influence of Adriaen Brouwer, this small tronie was probably painted by a Haarlem master from the circle of Judith Leyster, Jan Miense Molenaer and Pieter Quast.” The indebtedness of this crude head to Adriaen Brouwer (ca 1605-1638) is obvious. However, its author is to be found in Brouwer’s Flemish instead of in his Dutch sphere of influence. The most plausible candidate is Joos van Craesbeeck (1605/06-ca 1660). Of Hageland origin – a rural region situated to the east west of Antwerp -, Van Craesbeeck settled successively in Antwerp and Brussels. He entered professional life as a baker, after that combined the jobs of baker and painter, and finally devoted himself to the painter’s trade exclusively. In 1633-34 he was registered as a master in the Antwerp guild of Saint Luke and hereby listed as a painter but still as a baker too. In 1651 he was recorded in the Brussels guild, now as a painter only. In the court-capital Van Craesbeeck further developed his artistic talents, built up a studio and listed two pupils: Adriaen Rombouts in 1652 and, approximately one year later, Lucas Viters. After a stirring life, he finally died around 1660.

Although not officially registered, artistic characteristics and literary sources indicate that Van Craesbeeck was Brouwer’s pupil. Especially in his early works he proves himself a true Brouwer epigone, on a stylistic as well as on a technical and iconographic level. To those typical Brouwer works belongs a group of expressive heads showing vehement emotions to which the painting under consideration can be counted. The picture with the yelling man bears a strong resemblance to Brouwer’s famous Bitter Draught in the Städel in Frankfurt. A lot of copies exist from this authentic painting. Most of them are rather literal. Van Craesbeeck’s work by contrast stands out for being a creative variant of the original. 

As in many a copy by Van Craesbeeck after Brouwer here too changes have been introduced to the attributes and the headgear: the drinking-bowl and the bottle from the original have been omitted and the head covering of the man has been transformed from a low beret into a characteristic Van Craesbeeck hat with feather. Moreover, the man’s position has been altered from a slightly turned, to a side-view perspective. Brouwer’s Bitter Draught should have been created in the last years of his career, around 1636-38. This date is guiding for Van Craesbeeck’s variant here discussed, which, as a consequence, can be situated at the end of the thirties.

Stylistically it resembles Van Craesbeeck’s Head of a peasant with felt hat in Berlin (De Clippel 2006, cat. A12) and his Man eating porridge (De Clippel 2006, cat. A15). In comparison with the latter, it displays the same little hairs on the skin, the same curly and smoothly painted head of hair, the same red nose and, finally, the same look with one eye open and another nearly closed. Unique however, is the copper support which cannot be found elsewhere in Van Craesbeeck’s oeuvre.

Oil on  panel:
20,5 X 22 cm
Inscription: Etatis, 27, 1655

Provenance:
Private collection

Jan Weenix was the son and student of his father Jan Baptist Weenix. He studied together with his cousin Melchior d´Hondecoeter in his fathers´ atelier. The family moved in1657 to a small castle in Vleuten near Utrecht. Jan Weenix started his career with Italianate landscapes and genre scenes which strongly recall the influence of his father. From 1664 until 1668 he was recorded in the Utrecht painters´ guild. From then onwards he lived in his hometown Amsterdam where he became one of the most influential game piece-painters of the late seventeenth century.

This beautiful small study of a decoy dog was useful for his game pieces, hunting scenes and genre pictures in which they occur often. It was probably made in the beginning of his career since it occurs in several pictures from the early 1660´s.  It is seen in The young shepherds´ couple from 1662 (art-market) or in The landscape with a shepherd Boy in Dulwich from 1664. Jan Baptist made a large canvas with a decoy dog (formerly collection Nystad).

The lively painted happy looking dog stands firm in this picture his coat is painted so precise that almost every hair can be seen. The golden bell under his neck shows that it’s a domestic pet. It probably belonged to Weenix since his perfect depiction of the dog only could be reached after thorough study of the animal.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was impressed by the treatment of animals in Weenix pictures which he saw in Munich. He devoted a poem to the masters technique in which he stated that Weenix equaled and even surpassed nature in his treatment of animal textures as hair, feathers and claws.     

The decoy dog was a a beloved domestic pet. It is pictured in numerous Dutch seventeenth century pictures. Especially Jan Steen used a decoy dog in many of his genre pictures. The popularity in Holland of this dog may well be derived from the legend that William the silent was rescued by such a Dog. His grave monument in the Church of Delft depicts a dog resting at his feet. 

This picture will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné by Anke van Wagenberg on the Weenix Family.

Provenance:
Bonhams Knightbridge, 2007
Private collection, London

The painter Carel de Moor was acquainted with Arnold Houbraken who tells us that he learned painting with Gerard Dou. Afterwards he also took lessons with Abraham van den Tempel and Godfried Schalcken The latter surprises Houbraken since this author regarded Carel Moor higher than the portrait painter Schalcken. 
In 1683 De Moor became member of St. Luke ‘s guild in Leiden. He was between 1688 and 1711 several times chairman of the guild.
He received an important commission for a painting in the City Hall of Leiden.
Carel the Moor was a successful portrait-painter who received a golden medal from the Duke of Tuscany for a portrait. He was knighted by Price Eugene of Savoy for another portrait and ever since known as Knight De Moor. De Moor died as a wealthy man in 1738.
His finished style resembles that of his teachers and forerunners as Dou and especially Frans van Mieris. De Moor belongs to the same school of ‘Leiden Fijnschilders’ 

The subject of a smoking man is often depicted in Dutch art. The Leiden painters even depicted themselves smoking in self-portraits.  See for example the self-portrait of Jan van Mieris in the Hamburger Kunsthalle.
At the beginning of the seventeenth century smoking was a novelty. Only drunk peasants were painted smoking. But towards the end of the century smoking was accepted in higher classes. A long famous earthenware Gouda pipe was regarded as a status-symbol.
Smoking, not different from nowadays was often combined with drinking as is seen in this picture. On the table next to the wine-jug is a pewter beaker. The wealthy man in his rich clothes sits relaxed in his chair.

The slight resemblance in face with the self-portrait of 1703 in the Leiden Lakenhal Museum does not implicate that this specific portrait is a self-portrait.  As for example Frans van Mieris  and Jan Steen used their own face in several genre pictures it is possible that Carel de Moor worked in the same way. The own face was always available as model.

Ilse Tijhuis Faith
Oil on canvas
160 x 120cm
Signed

Painting 5
135 X 135 cm

Painting 4
120 X 120 cm

Painting 3
120 X 120 cm

Painting 8
135 X 135 cm

Patty Schilder
Terusan
47 X 80 cm
Stone ware
Signed

Patty Schilder
Shield
40 X 80 cm
Stone ware
Signed

Patty Schilder
Schild
33 X 80 cm
Stone ware
Signed

Patty Schilder
Guardian Angel
30 X 75 cm
Stone ware
Signed

Patty Schilder
Graffiti
80 X 40 cm
Stone ware
Signed

Patty Schilder
Eureka
72 X 30 cm
Stone ware
Signed

Pauline Bakker
One Way
80 X 60 cm
Acrylic on canvas
Signed

Pauline Bakker
Kiosk
80 X 100 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Pauline Bakker
English Shore
50 X 100 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Pauline Bakker
American Shore
80 X 100 cm
Acrylic on canvas

Oil on panel
31.8 X 40.6 cm
Signed: C. Lapostolet

Oil on panel
31.8 X 40.6 cm
Signed: C. Lapostolet

Oil on panel
20 x 29 cm
Signed

 A unique oil sketch by Jan Steen

In the more recent literature about Jan Steen, the here presented oil sketch has been almost neglected. It has been accepted as a sketch by Wilhelm Martin in 1928, and by Karel Braun in his Alle schilderijen van Jan Steen of 1980. A carefull study of how the sketch is situated between the different versions of The Village Wedding, shows that Steen here prepared his ideas for at least two compositions. Recent insights about the Steen’s working methods is suggesting that the artist used an underdrawing  which is quite similar to this oil sketch. In the complicated story of Steen’s use of motives, sometimes in mirror image, the present sketch offers a hint of how the artist prepared and preserved his ideas. As very little is known about Jan Steen as a draughtsman (only two drawings can be related to his paintings), the sketch should be regarded as a unique evidence of the artist at work.

lit.:
Wilhelm Martin, ‘Neues über Jan Steen’,  in Zeitschrift für bildende Kunst 61(1927/28) pp. 330-334, ill. on p. 330.
Karel Braun, Alle tot nu toe bekende schilderijen van Jan Steen, Rotterdam 1980, nr. 40.

Leonard Bramer
Delft 1596 – 1674 Delft

Standing figures around a fire
Oil ons late, 10,8 X 16,6 cm

Provenance
Private collection Germany

A Dutch painter and draughtsman, the first documentation of Bramer’s career records his travels through France and Italy, which he began in 1614. It is believed that he was a pupil of Adriaen van de Venne, although there is no documentation to support this. He has also been erroneously described as a follower of Rembrandt. The 17th-century biographer, De Bie, stated that Bramer visited Venice, Florence, Mantua, Siena, Bologna, Napels and Padoua, and lived in Roma from 1619 to 1625, before returning to Delft in 1628. It was in Rome that Bramer was influenced by the Caravaggesque painters, particularly Adam Elsheimer. He executed many nightpieces with dramatic chiaroscuro earning him the nickname ‘Leonardo delle Notti’. In Rome, Bramer was among the earliest members of the Schildersbent, a company of Dutch artists formed in Rome in the early 1620s. after his return to Delft, Bramer became a member of the Guild of the St Luke in 1629 and received important commissions from Stadholder Frederick Henrick and his nephew, Prince John Maurice of Nassau-Siegen for the palaces in the Hague (now the Mauritshuis), Rijswijk and Honselaarsdijk. He is not known to have had pupils, although Adriaen Verdoel and Johannes Vermeer may have studied with him.

Most of Bramer’s works feature many small figures set among antique buildings, ruins or in thick dark woods. His choice of mythological, allegorical, historical or biblical subjects reflects his preoccupation with Italian rather than popular Dutch subjects like landscapes, still-lifes, portraits and genre pieces. Bramer was also an extraordinary prolific draughtsman. Most of his drawings are independent works of art, and many of them form large cycles illustrating a particular book, like a story from the bible, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Virgil or the picaresque novel Lazarillo de Tormes. He began work on those series of drawings inspired by classical and modern literature in the mid-1640s. During Bramer’s lifetime there appears to have been considerable demand for his sequential drawings.

A number of similar small-size paintings on slate by the artist exist, such as the ‘Landscape with Shepherds’ (private collection, Milwaukee) and ‘Herdsmen near a campfire’ (formerly art market, Vienna and New York) (cf. J. Ten Brink Goldsmith, e.a. Leonart Bramer 1596-1674, Ingenious Painter and Draftsman in Rome and Delft (exhib.cat.), 1994,p. 97, ill. 13 and 13a).