Bathsheba with King David's Letter

Last updated
Willem Drost - Bathsheba - WGA6691.jpg

Bathsheba with David's Letter is a 1654 oil on canvas painting by Willem Drost, showing the Biblical character Bathsheba. It was produced just before the artist set out for Italy and at the same time as his teacher Rembrandt's Bathsheba at Her Bath [1] - both works opt not to show King David witnessing her bathing but her receiving his letter afterwards, giving a more introspective feel focussed on Bathsheba's psychological conflict over the adultery to which David invites her. [1] [2]

Contents

It is known to have been in the collection of Jean-Jacques-Joseph Leroy d'Etiolles, a renowned 19th-century surgeon, and then that of Louis Alfred Caroillon de Vandeul, mayor of Soisy-sur-Seine, who bequeathed it to the Louvre, where it still hangs. [3] [4]

Analysis

Young Woman with a Pearl Necklace after Drost (Metropolitan Museum of Art ) - a copy of a work in Dresden showing the same woman as Bathsheba but previously thought to have shown Hendrickje Stoffels. Willem Drost - Young Woman in a Pearl Necklace - MET.jpg
Young Woman with a Pearl Necklace after Drost (Metropolitan Museum of Art ) - a copy of a work in Dresden showing the same woman as Bathsheba but previously thought to have shown Hendrickje Stoffels.

Many art historians hold it to be the painter's masterpiece, but others disagree - Wilhelm Valentiner called it sentimental, while Kunoth-Leifels considered it merely a pupil's attempt to imitate Rembrandt's introspective work which succeeded only as far as the limitations of Drost's technique allowed. Werner Sumowski and Bruno Fucard argue that Drost was not trying to imitate Rembrandt's intensely introspective Bathsheba, but rather to produce a more purely aesthetic work without retreating from his master's style. [6] [7]

Drost uses a smaller canvas than Bathsheba at Her Bath and bases the composition on an earlier 1643 depiction of Bathsheba by Rembrandt. [6] He places her in a darker room than Rembrandt's 1645 treatment of the subject and only shows her upper body, but removes the background figures of the maids and limits his palette to just white, black and flesh tones. [6] [7] He uses strong chiaroscuro effects to highlight her whilst keeping the contrast even and her skin smooth. [8] Indeed, Rembrandt's only direct influences are her seated pose, her holding the letter in the same hand and her wearing similar jewellery. [9] The differences suggest Drost was influenced by Rembrandt but intended to take a more aesthetic approach than his master. [8] [10] The depiction of movement was important to Rembrandt and his pupils, as seen here in the tilt of the earrings, suggesting that Bathsheba is not standing still and gazing at the viewer, but is about to turn around. [1]

The concentric circles formed by the curves of Bathsheba's arms, the most important and fundamental element of the work, resonate with the circular motifs and soft textures of her undergarment, black necklace and round breasts. [6] [7] Her circular pose draws on a portrait of a woman by Palma il Vecchio, previously in the Berlin Museums but now lost. [7] [8] The style of her upper body is also similar to Vecchio's A Blonde Woman and Titian's Flora , clearly reminding the viewer that Rembrandt (and through him Drost) was strongly influenced by Venetian painters through prints and (in the case of Flora) through a copy of the work then in a private Dutch collection. Drost's work is also similar to Rembrandt's c.1656 portrait of Hendrickje Stoffels, which itself was influenced by Vecchio. [8] Even later Drost was influenced by Venetian art, painting his own Flora in the 1650s. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rijksmuseum</span> National museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Concertgebouw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willem Drost</span> Dutch painter

Willem Drost was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker of history paintings and portraits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerbrand van den Eeckhout</span> Dutch painter (1621–1674)

Gerbrand van den Eeckhout was a Dutch Golden Age painter and a favourite student of Rembrandt. He was also an etcher, an amateur poet, a collector and an adviser on art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willem van de Velde the Younger</span> Dutch painter

Willem van de Velde the Younger was a Dutch marine painter, the son of Willem van de Velde the Elder, who also specialised in maritime art. His brother, Adriaen van de Velde, was a landscape painter.

<i>Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione</i> Painting by Raphael

Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione is a c. 1514–1515 oil painting attributed to the Italian High Renaissance painter Raphael. Considered one of the great portraits of the Renaissance, it has an enduring influence. It depicts Raphael's friend, the diplomat and humanist Baldassare Castiglione, who is considered a quintessential example of the High Renaissance gentleman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rembrandt</span> Dutch painter and printmaker (1606–1669)

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in the history of art. It is estimated Rembrandt produced a total of about three hundred paintings, three hundred etchings, and two thousand drawings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willem Kalf</span> Dutch still-life painter (1619–1693)

Willem Kalf was one of the most prominent Dutch still-life painters of the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age. We first get acquainted with Willem Kalf through Arnold Houbraken, in his Groot Schilderboek, who speaks very highly of him. In fact, Kalf was a highly regarded and celebrated artist during his own lifetime. This was due to his extensive art knowledge and what we gain from Houbraken, his affable personality. His claim to fame now rests mostly on his mature still lifes, pronkstilleven in Dutch, which feature the most exotic and luxurious objects. This can be seen in for example, Still life with nautilus beaker and porcelain lidded bowl from 1662, which became an iconic piece of western art.

<i>The Jewish Bride</i> Painting by Rembrandt (c. 1665–1669)

The Jewish Bride is a painting by Rembrandt, painted around 1665‒1669.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salomon Adler</span> Italian painter

Salomon Adler was a German painter of the Baroque period, active in Milan and Bergamo as a portrait painter. He was the mentor of Fra' Galgario. Born in Danzig (Gdańsk), died in Milan.

<i>Bathsheba at Her Bath</i> (Rembrandt) Oil painting by Rembrandt

Bathsheba at Her Bath is an oil painting by the Dutch artist Rembrandt (1606–1669), finished in 1654.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willem de Poorter</span> Dutch Golden Age painter (1608–1668)

Willem de Poorter (1608–1668) was a Dutch Golden Age painter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans-Joachim Bohlmann</span> German art vandal (1937–2009)

Hans-Joachim Bohlmann was a German serial vandal who primarily targeted artworks at public exhibitions. Between 1977 and 2006, he damaged over 50 paintings worth more than 270 million Deutsche Marks by such artists as Rubens, Rembrandt and Dürer.

<i>The Abduction of Europa</i> (Rembrandt) 1632 painting by Rembrandt

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn's The Abduction of Europa (1632) is one of his rare mythological subject paintings. The work is oil on a single oak panel and now located in the J. Paul Getty Museum. The inspiration for the painting is Ovid's Metamorphoses, part of which tells the tale of Zeus's seduction and capture of Europa. The painting shows a coastal scene with Europa being carried away through the water by a bull while her friends remain on shore with expressions of horror. Rembrandt combined his knowledge of classical literature with the interests of the patron in order to create this allegorical work. The use of an ancient myth to impart a contemporary thought and his portrayal of the scene using the High Baroque style are two strong aspects of the work.

<i>Flora</i> (Rembrandt, Hermitage) 1634 painting by Rembrandt van Rijn

Flora or Saskia as Flora is a 1634 oil-on-canvas painting by Rembrandt, depicting his wife Saskia van Uylenburgh as the goddess Flora. It is held by the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

<i>Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit</i> Pair of paintings by Rembrandt

The pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit are a pair of full-length wedding portraits by Rembrandt. They were painted on the occasion of the marriage of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit in 1634. Formerly owned by the Rothschild family, they became jointly owned by the Louvre Museum and the Rijksmuseum in 2015 after both museums managed to contribute half of the purchase price of €160 million, a record for works by Rembrandt.

<i>Young Woman in a Pearl Necklace</i> Painting by Willem Drost

Young Woman in a Pearl Necklace is an oil on canvas painting by the Dutch painter Willem Drost. It is an example of Dutch Golden Age painting and is part of the collection of Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister.

<i>Timothy with his Grandmother Lois</i> Painting by Willem Drost

Timothy with his Grandmother Lois or The Prophetess Anna Teaching a Child is a 1650 or c. 1654 oil on canvas painting, attributed to Rembrandt until 1910 but since 1924 thought to be by Willem Drost. Its two titles refer to Timothy, Lois and Anna. It is now in the Hermitage Museum, in Saint Petersburg.

References

  1. 1 2 3 (in Japanese)『ルーヴル美術館展　17世紀ヨーロッパ絵画』ルーヴル美術館、国立西洋美術館、京都市美術館、日本テレビ放送網（2009年） ("Louvre Museum Exhibition: 17th Century European Paintings" Louvre Museum , National Museum of Western Art , Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art , Nippon Television Network Corporation) (2009), page 198
  2. ↑ "WGA entry".
  3. ↑ (in Dutch) "RKD entry".
  4. ↑ (in French) "Catalogue entry".
  5. ↑ "Catalogue entry".
  6. 1 2 3 4 Jonathan Bikker, Willem Drost (1633-1659): A Rembrandt Pupil in Amsterdam and Venice. Yale University Press, 2006, page 14
  7. 1 2 3 4 Jonathan Bikker, Willem Drost (1633-1659): A Rembrandt Pupil in Amsterdam and Venice. Yale University Press, 2006, page 57
  8. 1 2 3 4 Eric Jan Sluijter, Rembrandt and the Female Nude. Amsterdam University Press, 2006, pages 365-366
  9. ↑ Jonathan Bikker, Willem Drost (1633-1659): A Rembrandt Pupil in Amsterdam and Venice. Yale University Press, 2006, page 55
  10. ↑ Jonathan Bikker, Willem Drost (1633-1659): A Rembrandt Pupil in Amsterdam and Venice. Yale University Press, 2006, page 13
  11. ↑ "Lot entry".

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.