Putti with a Wreath of Flowers, Gerard van Honthorst (workshop of), c. 1650 – (Gerard Van Honthorst (Gerrit Van Honthorst)) ◄ Sebelumnya Berikutnya ►

Artis: Gerard Van Honthorst (Gerrit Van Honthorst)

tanggal: 1650

Teknik: Oil On Canvas

Flying putti figure in numerous works by Honthorst as accessories. They are to be found on their own holding the monograms of King Christian IV, his parents and his wives in four ceiling paintings executed by Honthorst and his workshop for Kronborg Castle in 1635.7 The similarities, including the pyramidal compositions, between these paintings and the Rijksmuseum tondo are obvious. The two putti holding bows and arrows in this painting appear in another one for Kronborg Castle, The First Meeting of The Agenes and Chariclea, also from 1635.8 Reznicek argued that this painting was executed after the present picture, which he dated to around 1630.9 Basing his judgement on the robustness of the putti, Judson preferred a date of around 1640.10 However, an even later date, c. 1650, seems most appropriate, as the slick execution of these little cherubs, their broad faces and even broader bellies, and especially their stylized hair and facial features, compare best with the putti in two works in the Oranjezaal from 1649 and 1650: Allegory of Louise Henriette of Orange Leading the Elector of Brandenburg to Their Royal Highnesses and Allegory of the Marriage of Frederik Hendrik and Amalia van Solms.11 Shortcomings such as the overly thick contour lines and the awkwardly articulated anatomies support Judson’s conclusion that the present painting was executed by Honthorst’s assistants. Such shortcomings, however, are also present in the Oranjezaal works. Putti with a Wreath of Flowers was, perhaps, executed by the same assistants around the same time as the Oranjezaal, using the design for the Kronborg Castle work. Given the many decorations Honthorst executed for their palaces, Reznicek suggested that the Rijksmuseum tondo was perhaps executed for the House of Orange.12 Another possibility entertained by Reznicek was that the tondo is a rare example for the first half of the 17th century of a ceiling decoration for a non-aristocratic home.13 The bows and arrows and the floral wreath suggest an amorous iconography. Jonathan Bikker, 2007 See Bibliography and Rijksmuseum painting catalogues See Key to abbreviations and Acknowledgements This entry was published in J. Bikker (ed.), Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, I: Artists Born between 1570 and 1600, coll. cat. Amsterdam 2007, no. 145.