Bartholomeus Breenbergh
(1598 - 1657) |
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Landscapes, Historical Narratives, Secular Narratives Art Work
| Name: |
Bartholomeus Breenbergh |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Place of Birth: |
Deventer |
| Nationality: |
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| Birth: |
1598 |
| Death: |
1657 |
| Website: |
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| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
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Quick Facts
| Known For: |
Landscapes, Historical Narratives, Secular Narratives |
| Medium: |
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| Method: |
Oil on copper |
| Style: |
Realism |
| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Painting
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Biography
| Dutch. Though not in the first rank of Dutch artists, Breenbergh is admired for the high quality of his technique and his masterful handling of paint. Early in his career he specialized in small-scale Italianate landscapes, employing a polished, beautifully finished style and a generally cool range of colors enlivened here and there by touches of warm red. Later on Breenbergh turned to histories, mostly biblical subjects with an emphasis on Old Testament scenes. Baptized in the reformed church of Deventer on 13 November 1598, Breenbergh lost his father, an apothecary, in 1607. Thereupon the family moved to Hoorn and then Amsterdam, where he studied most likely with Abraham Bloemaert. In October 1619 Breenbergh was documented in Amsterdam, but he arrived in Rome later that year and stayed for about a decade. His return to the Netherlands was dated to about 1633 (when he married) by earlier scholars, while recent studies place him back in his native country by 1630. In Rome, Breenbergh may have studied with (and was certainly influenced by) Paul Bril. He also responded to Adam Elsheimer and Cornells van Poelenburgh. After 1620 the two artists worked together and reportedly joined in establishing the Bentveugheb (Birds of a Feather), also known as the Schildersbent, a fraternity of painters in Rome. Breenbergh earned the nickname "Het Fret" (the ferret). Breenbergh's earliest surviving dated picture is a Finding of Moses (dated 1622, Stockholm, Hallwyl Gallery). Few other paintings can be dated with certainty to his Roman period, but drawings dated from 1624 to 1628 record his studies of rains and landscapes around Rome and Tivoli. We know Breenbergh had Italian commissions, such as his work for the Duke of Bracciano at the Orsini estate at Bomarzo; the Orsini inventory of 1655/6 lists seven landscapes by him. Less than a quarter of Breenbergh's surviving paintings can be securely dated to his Roman period. Some of his paintings are confused with those of Poelenburgh, particularly a group of ruin scenes, which were done under the latter's influence but with Breenbergh's own sense of color and light. When Breenbergh returned to Holland he settled permanently in Amsterdam. On 11 September 1633 he married Rebecca Schellingwou, a merchant's daughter. Breenbergh is recorded in Amsterdam in 1645 and although he traveled in the same artistic circle as Rembrandt, he enjoyed greater financial success; in 1653 Breenbergh is noted in Amsterdam documents as a coopman (trader). His income secured him increasingly prestigious addresses; by 1657 he was living on the Herengracht. Upon his death in 1657 he was buried in the Oude Kerk. Breenbergh's work was fairly consistent after his return to Holland, although scholars have defined some shifts in emphasis. Figures gained in importance, as narrative subject matter from the Old and New Testaments, as well as from mythology, now dominated the scene. Though still reminiscent of his earlier fictive Italianate landscapes (sometimes dotted with recognizable ancient monuments), the staffage grew larger and occupied greater prominence in the image. A good example of his Dutch manner is his Landscape with a Sacrificial Scene (signed and dated 1631, St. Petersburg, Hermitage). After concentrating on numerous Old Testament subjects between 1630 and 1632, Breenbergh expanded to new themes, including landscapes wherein the architectural setting gained greater emphasis {Christ Heating the Blind, Vaduz, Uchtensteinische Sammlung Collection) or narratives in which the figure groupings took on a greater expressive role (Landscape with Christ and the Woman of Samaria, signed and dated ca. 1635, Johannesburg, Art Gallery). In other examples the landscape itself became a more animated presence, as in Rest on the Flight into Egypt (dated 1634, Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen). Pieter Lastman* is considered an important influence later in Breenbergh's career. For the last fifteen years of his life, Breenbergh's output decreased but the quality of individual pictures is considered to have improved. A striking biblical subject from this later period is his Sacrifice of Elijah at Mt. Carmet (signed and dated 1645, Copenhagen, Statens Museum for Kunst). Several portraits have also been attributed to him, including Archbishop Rovenius Blessing a Family (Madrid, Prado). |
Samples of Work
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