CORNELIS VAN POELENBURGH
c.1594 - Utrecht - 1667
SOLD TO THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON
The Martyrdom of Saint Stephen
Oil on panel
11 x 9.5 in. (28 x 24 cm.)
Provenance
Galerie Sanct Lucas, Vienna, by 1965
(as ‘Bartolomeus Breenbergh’);
Private European collection;
Sotheby’s, London, 14th April 2011 (lot 118)
as “circle” of Cornelis van Poelenburgh.
We are grateful to Dr Nicolette Sluijter for confirming the attribution to Cornelis van Poelenburgh following first hand inspection of the painting. This painting is to be included in Dr Sluijter’s forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works of Cornelis van Poelenburgh.
This exquisite and jewel like panel painting is a rare and beautiful example of Poelenburgh’s early maturity. The painting is infused with a subtle and atmospheric chiaroscuro, and the beautifully articulated figures are superb examples of Poelenburgh’s quality and finish.
Commenting on the painting, Dr Sluijter notes:
“the landscape is very finely done with the receding hills in the distance and the detailed plants and rocks in the foreground. The figures are lively and well-conceived as usual with Poelenburch. The undulating hills, the loose leafed trees, undoubtedly inspired by Paul Bril, and the craggy rocks and stones on the ground are typical of Poelenburgh’s early works (between 1620 and 1625). It is very seldom that such an early work, in good condition, comes onto the market.”
Poelenburgh is best known for his highly finished Arcadian landscapes, populated with small-scale biblical or mythological figures. Our picture may be compared with A Landscape with Ancient Ruins (Pitti Palace, Florence), in which beautifully wrought figures gather beneath the shadow of ruins and trees.
Poelenburgh’s reputation as a leading representative of the first generation of Italianate artists rests securely upon his polished execution (here heightened by the use of a panel support) and his exquisite colour harmonies. In the present work the sky and landscape are exquisitely rendered in a palette of silvery greys and greens, while the delicately painted figures are enlivened by soft and harmonious shades of blue, red, green and yellow. The figural group in the present painting displays a characteristic blend of realistic virtuosity and poetic idealisation so well beloved by contemporary collectors. Their conception also reveals the influence of Raphael, whose importance to Poelenburgh’s development is confirmed by Joachim von Sandrart, one of the artist’s early biographers, who commented that in Italy Poelenburgh looked to Adam Elsheimer for his landscapes, but to Raphael for his figure style (i).
Cornelis van Poelenburgh is represented in many of the world’s great galleries and museums, including the National Gallery (London), the Mauritshuis, the Rijksmuseum, the Royal Collection, the Hermitage and the Louvre.
BIOGRAPHY OF CORNELIS VAN POELENBURGH
Cornelis van Poelenburgh was one of the most famous and influential painters of his time. Born in Utrecht c.1594, he is believed to have studied with Abraham Bloemaert in Utrecht before travelling to Rome, where he is recorded in 1617. During the next few years, he visited Florence where he worked at the court of Cosimo II de’ Medici and for other major Florentine families(ii). In 1623 he became a founding member of the Schildersbent, the fellowship of Dutch and Flemish artists in Rome, whose members were known as Bentvueghels (‘birds of a feather’): he was given the nickname “Satiro” (Satyr) by his fellow artists in the Bent. He remained in Rome until 1625 when he returned to Utrecht, becoming an officer (overman) of the guild in 1656 and its dean in 1657-58 and 1664.
In 1627, Rubens, who owned several paintings by Poelenburgh, visited the artist’s studio in Utrecht. During this time, Poelenburgh received commissions from members of the aristocracy such as King Frederick V of Bohemia and became one of the most popular artists of The Hague court. Indeed, more paintings by Poelenburgh are recorded in the inventories of the stadtholder’s palaces than by any other landscapist (iii). Highly in demand in The Netherlands as well as abroad, he was summoned to the English court in 1637, and worked for King Charles I for three years. In 1641, he returned to Utrecht where he remained for the rest of his life.
Poelenburgh painted history, mythological and religious subjects as well as pastoral landscapes and a number of portraits. He collaborated occasionally with colleagues, adding figures to the landscapes of several artists including Jan Both, as exemplified in the superb Landscape with the Judgement of Paris, (National Gallery, London). Poelenburgh was also an influential teacher, numbering Dirck van der Lisse, Daniel Vertangen and Johan van Haensbergen among his pupils.
(i) Joachim von Sandrart, Academie der Bau-, Bild- und Mahlerey-Künste von 1675, edited by Dr. Arthur Rudolf Peltzer, Munich, 1925, p. 175.
(ii) Four landscapes by Poelenburgh are recorded in the guardaroba of the Pitti Palace in 1638, and a sizable number of early Poelenburgh paintings remain in Florentine collections – the legacy of the artist’s sojourn in Florence.
(iii) Peter C. Sutton, Masters of 17th Century Dutch Landscape Painting, Boston, 1987, p.403.