The Archdukes Albert and Isabella Visiting a Collector's Cabinet

Last updated
The Archdukes Albert and Isabella Visiting a Collector's Cabinet
Hieronymus Francken Ii - The Archdukes Albert and Isabella Visiting a Collector's Cabinet - Google Art Project.jpg
Artist Jan Brueghel the Elder and Hieronymus Francken II
Yearca. 1621-1623
MediumOil on panel
Dimensions94 cm× 123.3 cm(37 in× 48.5 in)
Location The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

The Archdukes Albert and Isabella Visiting a Collector's Cabinet is a 17th-century Flemish collaborative painting, now regarded as by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Hieronymus Francken II. It is part of the collection of The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

Contents

Archdukes Albert and Isabella jointly ruled the Spanish Netherlands in the beginning of the 17th century and were considered patrons of the arts. Until the death of Albert in 1621, the area of Flanders enjoyed peace and prosperity. This type of painting known as a constkamer, gallery painting or a depiction of a collector's cabinet was popular during this time in Flanders. The painting is deemed a collaborative effort between the artists Jan Brueghel the Elder and Hieronymus Francken II. It had been attributed previously to Hieronymus Francken II's brother Frans Francken II and Adriaen van Stalbemt to whom is attributed a similar work which is now in the collection at the Prado in Madrid. [1] [2]

Composition

Bouquet. Jan Brueghel the Elder Jan Brueghel the Elder - Flowers in a Wooden Vessel - Google Art Project.jpg
Bouquet. Jan Brueghel the Elder

The painting depicts a large room in which many persons and various art and other objects are present. An unknown Flemish collector accompanies Isabella (seated) and her husband, Albert, who stands behind her. The composition likely does not represent closely any actual occasion. The walls are covered by paintings by Flemish artists and there are also numerous sculptures including the bronze Allegory of Architecture by Giambologna. [3]

The painting contains representations of the wonders of the natural world (animals, plants, and minerals), along with examples of human creativity (painting and sculpture), and attributes of the five senses. As such the composition represents the early phase of the genre of collector's cabinets. During this early ‘encyclopaedic’ phase, the genre reflected the culture of curiosity of that time, when art works, scientific instruments, naturalia and artificialia were equally the object of study and admiration and the cabinets depicted are populated by persons who were as interested in discussing scientific instruments as in admiring paintings. [4]

The painting propped against the chair at the center, Allegory of Iconoclasm depicts an ass, a cat, a fool, and an ape (symbols of ignorance and evil) destroying musical instruments, paintings, and scientific instruments. The painting over the mantel depicts an allegory of Painting being rescued by Wisdom and Fame from Ignorance. The dog, on the left side, appears to have two heads which is a result of the underpainting coming through the surface. [1] The globe on the table at the left is one of Cornelis Drebbels' attempts at a perpetual-motion clock. The large vase of flowers, at the far left corner, is Jan Brueghel's contribution to the painting. The flower arrangement is crowned by a large sunflower ( Helianthus annuus ), an American flower which can grow to 14 feet tall and turns toward the sun. A recent arrival in Europe, the flower had been illustrated in botanical books, but this is its earliest inclusion in a painting. It is shown turning toward Albert and Isabella instead of toward the sun. [3]

Interpretation

The artworks within the painting such as the Allegory of Iconoclasm and the painting above the mantel representing Painting saved from Ignorance are references to the iconoclasm of the Beeldenstorm that had raged in the Low Countries in the 16th century. The reference offered by the Allegory of Iconoclasm to the iconoclasm of the preceding century provides the meaning for the larger picture: the arts will be protected (as shown by the presence of soldiers in the open door) and flourish under the rule of the archdukes. [1] [5] The sunflower turning toward Albert and Isabella symbolizes the way that the arts will grow and blossom in the light and warmth of princely patronage. [3]

Other versions

Variant Titles

Off the Wall

In 2012 The Archdukes Albert and Isabella Visiting a Collector's Cabinet featured in Off the Wall, an open-air exhibition on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland. A reproduction of the painting, the original is part of The Walters Art Museum collection, will be on display at Avenue Antiques. [7] The National Gallery in London began the concept of bringing art out of doors in 2007 and the Detroit Institute of Art introduced the concept in the U.S.. The Off the Wall reproductions of the Walters' paintings are done on weather-resistant vinyl and include a description of the painting and a QR code for smart phones. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Brueghel the Elder</span> Flemish painter (1568–1625)

Jan Brueghelthe Elder was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He was the son of the eminent Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. A close friend and frequent collaborator with Peter Paul Rubens, the two artists were the leading Flemish painters in the first three decades of the 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Brueghel the Younger</span> Flemish painter (1601–1678)

Jan Brueghelthe Younger was a Flemish Baroque painter. He was the son of Jan Brueghel the Elder, and grandson of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, both prominent painters who contributed respectively to the development of Renaissance and Baroque painting in the Habsburg Netherlands. Taking over his father's workshop at an early age, he largely painted the same subjects as his father in a style which was similar to that of his father. He gradually was able to break away from his father's style by developing a broader, more painterly, and less structured manner of painting. He regularly collaborated with leading Flemish painters of his time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Teniers the Younger</span> Flemish Baroque painter (1610–1690)

David Teniers the Younger or David Teniers II was a Flemish Baroque painter, printmaker, draughtsman, miniaturist painter, staffage painter, copyist and art curator. He was an extremely versatile artist known for his prolific output. He was an innovator in a wide range of genres such as history painting, genre painting, landscape painting, portrait and still life. He is now best remembered as the leading Flemish genre painter of his day. Teniers is particularly known for developing the peasant genre, the tavern scene, pictures of collections and scenes with alchemists and physicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gonzales Coques</span> Flemish painter (c. 1616–1684)

Gonzales Coques was a Flemish painter of portraits and history paintings. Because of his artistic proximity to and emulation with Anthony van Dyck he received the nickname de kleine van Dyck. Coques also worked as an art dealer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francken family</span>

The Francken family was a family of artists the members of which were mainly active in Antwerp in the 16th and 17th centuries. Many of the members over three generations had the same first names Frans, Hieronymus and Ambrosius. While this may at the time have been effective as a marketing method by ensuring continuity of the family business, today's legacy is some confusion in the attribution of paintings, which often do not differ widely in style or execution between the various family members. The confusion is exacerbated by the signing practices of some family members: when Frans I's son Frans II reached his majority and began to sign paintings, Frans I started to add "the elder" to his signature to distinguish himself from his son, who then signed his works as "the younger". This happened again in the next generation when Frans II's son Frans III reached his majority. Frans II then started to sign his works with the elder, while Frans III used Frans the younger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Snellinck</span> Flemish painter (1544/48-1638)

Jan Snellinck or Jan Snellinck (I) (c. 1548 – 1 October 1638) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and designer of tapestries, prints and frescoes. He is known for his large altarpieces and was also recognized as a leading battle painter in his time. Snellinck was active as an art dealer and art collector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joos de Momper</span> Flemish painter

Joos de Momper the Younger or Joost de Momper the Younger was a Flemish landscape painter active in Antwerp between the late 16th century and the early 17th century. Brueghel's influence is clearly evident in many of de Momper's paintings. His work is situated at the transition from late 16th-century Mannerism to the greater realism in landscape painting that developed in the early 17th century. He achieved considerable success during his lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaspar de Witte</span> Flemish painter (1624–1681)

Gaspar de Witte was a Flemish painter who is known for his landscapes and gallery paintings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flemish Baroque painting</span> Painting movement

Flemish Baroque painting was a style of painting in the Southern Netherlands during Spanish control in the 16th and 17th centuries. The period roughly begins when the Dutch Republic was split from the Habsburg Spain regions to the south with the Spanish recapturing of Antwerp in 1585 and goes until about 1700, when Spanish Habsburg authority ended with the death of King Charles II. Antwerp, home to the prominent artists Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacob Jordaens, was the artistic nexus, while other notable cities include Brussels and Ghent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frans Francken the Younger</span> Flemish painter (1581–1642)

Frans Francken the Younger was a Flemish painter and the best-known and most prolific member of the large Francken family of artists. He painted large altarpieces for churches as well as smaller historical, mythological and allegorical scenes. His depictions of collectors' cabinets established a popular new genre of art in the era. Francken often collaborated with other artists, adding figures and narrative elements to scenes created by specialists in landscape, architectural and floral still life paintings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adriaen van Stalbemt</span> Flemish Baroque painter (1580–1662)

Adriaen or Adriaan van Stalbemt or Adriaen van Stalbempt was a Flemish painter and printmaker who is known for his landscapes with religious, mythological and allegorical scenes. He was also a gifted figure painter who was regularly invited to paint the staffage in compositions of fellow painters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marten Pepijn</span> Flemish painter (1575–1643)

Marten Pepijn was a Flemish painter who was mainly known for his large-scale history paintings and to a lesser extent for his smaller genre scenes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilhelm Schubert van Ehrenberg</span> Flemish painter (1630–1676)

Wilhelm Schubert van Ehrenberg or Willem Schubart van Ehrenberg (also: Wilhem Schubert von Ehrenberg or Wilhem Schubert van Ehrenberg was a Flemish painter mainly active in Antwerp who specialized in architectural paintings including of real and imaginary church interiors, Renaissance palaces and picture galleries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambrosius Francken I</span> Flemish painter

Ambrosius Francken I (1544–1618) was a Flemish painter known for his religious works and historical allegories painted in a late Mannerist style. He was a prominent member of the Francken family of artists, which played a very important role in the Flemish art scene from the late 16th to middle 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hieronymus Francken II</span> Flemish painter

Hieronymus Francken the Younger or Hieronymus II was a Flemish painter and one of the most prominent members of the large Francken family of artists. Along with his brother Frans Francken II he played an important role in the development of new genres in Flemish art in the early 17th century. He was a prolific artist with a wide range who painted religious scenes, allegorical subjects, portraits, fruit pieces, genre scenes, architectural paintings and art galleries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob de Formentrou</span>

Jacob de Formentrou or Jacob de Fourmentrou was a Flemish Baroque painter active in Antwerp who specialized in the genres of merry companies and gallery paintings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hieronymus Janssens</span> Flemish genre painter

Hieronymus Janssens or Jeroom Janssens was a Flemish genre painter known for his compositions depicting elegant companies engaging in dance, music or play, which were of influence on the development of the genre of the conversation piece. He also painted architectural scenes of real or imaginary palaces, churches, temples and art galleries.

<i>The Five Senses</i> (series) Painting series by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Peter Paul Rubens

The Five Senses is a set of allegorical paintings created at Antwerp in 1617-1618 by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Peter Paul Rubens, with Brueghel being responsible for the settings and Rubens for the figures. They are now in the Prado Museum in Madrid. They are all painted in oils on wood panel, approximately 65 by 110 centimetres in dimensions.

<i>The Five Senses</i> (pair of paintings) Painting series by Jan Brueghel the Elder

The Five Senses are a pair of oil paintings made by Jan Brueghel the Elder and others in 1617-1618, at the same time as he was working with Peter Paul Rubens on a series of five paintings on the same topic. The originals were lost in a fire in 1731; faithful copies dated to c. 1620 were preserved and are in the Prado Museum in Madrid.

<i>The Sciences and the Arts</i> (Prado) Painting by Hieronymous Francken II or Adriaan van Stalbemt

The Sciences and the Arts is a 17th-century painting which is part of the collection of the Museo de Prado in Madrid. It has traditionally been attributed to Adriaen van Stalbemt, but more recently some art historians have re-attributed the work to Hieronymus Francken the Younger.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Zafran, Eric M. (1988). Fifty old master paintings from the Walters Art Gallery. Baltimore, Md.: Trustees of the Walters Art Gallery. pp.  104. ISBN   0-911886-34-6.
  2. Hieronymus Francken (II), A Collector's Cabinet at Sotheby’s. The Sotheby's expert believes on the basis of Ursula Härting's analysis that the painting in the Prado should also be attributed to Hieronymus Francken II
  3. 1 2 3 The Walters Art Museum - The Archdukes Albert and Isabella Visiting a Collector's Cabinet
  4. Alexander Marr (2010), 'The Flemish 'Pictures of Collections' Genre: An Overview', Intellectual History Review, 20: 1, p. 7
  5. James Simpson, Under the Hammer: Iconoclasm in the Anglo-American Tradition, Oxford University Press, 2010
  6. The Frick Art Reference Library - The Archdukes Albert and Isabella Visiting a Collector's Cabinet
  7. Walters Art Museum - Off the Wall Archived 2012-11-19 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Smith, T., Walters Art Museum goes of the wall, The Baltimore Sun, September 11, 2012