Otto Marseus Schrieck
(1619 - 1678) |
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Still Lifes, Botanical Landscapes Art Work
| Name: |
Otto Marseus Schrieck |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Place of Birth: |
Nijmegen |
| Nationality: |
Dutch |
| Birth: |
1619 |
| Death: |
1678 |
| Website: |
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| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
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Quick Facts
| Known For: |
Still Lifes, Botanical Landscapes |
| Medium: |
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| Method: |
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| Style: |
Dutch Golden Age |
| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Painting
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Biography
| Together with his friend Matthias Withoos (1627-1703), Otto Marseus van Schrieck is ranked among the most curious and original painters of animal "still lifes." Concentrating on intimate views into the undergrowth of forests and gardens, van Schrieck revealed the dramatic life of the fauna generally hidden from view: snakes, lizards, insects, and toads move about, feeding and sometimes battling. His highly finished and beautifully rendered nature studies no doubt appealed to collectors for their cabinets - on more than one level - as art and as representations of curious flora and fauna. Little is known about van Schrieck. His teacher is not identified. He traveled with Withoos to Rome in 1652 and was visited there by Samuel van Hoogstraeten and Willem van Aelst. He joined the Schildersbent and was nicknamed "Snuffelaer" (Sniffer) because he sniffed around everywhere for strange colored or speckled snakes, lizards, caterpillars, spiders, spinnerets, and strange plants and herbs (Houbraken*). He worked in Florence for the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and in London (for the Queen Mother) as well as in Paris before returning with van Aelst to Amsterdam around 1657. He married Margrita Gijsels in 1664. He owned a house called Wateryk in Diemen and maintained a cottage (complete with rowboat and fishing gear used for his studies) outside the city gate of Amsterdam, where he often slept and worked. Van Schrieck's life at Wateryk was vividly described by the Frenchman de Monconys, who visited in 1663. There he kept a menagerie filled with snakes, lizards, waterfowl, and other exotica-which he fed daily and from which he made numerous studies. Margrita told Houbraken that her husband had a house for his snakes and that some of them got so tame that he could arrange them for study purposes and they would maintain that position until he was finished. The studies became the basis for his paintings, which are imaginary constructions full of fascinating detail and insightful observations on the characteristics of each of his subjects. Dated examples are known from 1660 to 1677. His paintings may well have had some symbolic meaning, though for us they are captivating for their mystery. A gifted observer, Otto Marseus combined a naturalist's interest in animals with an artist's imagination to produce original and exceptional work, which deserves to be better known. Otto Marseus is the most original painter in a group of painters (most of whom he inspired) which includes his friend Withoos, Melchior d'Hondecoeter, Rachel Ruysch, and Elias van den Broeck. His brother, Evert Marseus van Schrieck, was also a painter. Otto Marseus's surviving work is relatively rare. |
Samples of Work
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