Tátrai Vilmos szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei 90-91.(Budapest, 1999)

EMBER, ILDIKÓ: Some Minor Masters on the Peripheries of Rembrandt's Circle

ever, his eventful career, travels, his literary and theoretical works distanced him a long way from this early direction: first he became the painter of markedly naturalistic trompel'oeil still lifes, then of perspective views and subtle genre paintings that put illusionism to more classical uses. His pupil Arnold Houbraken, who also wrote, was the first to appreciate Van Hoogstraten as excellent in his knowledge of theory albeit somewhat less successful in its execution,

52 but he is not the only one to blame for the belatedness of modern art historians in exploring every aspect of the activities of thispictor doctus. Research over the last two decades has erased this long-standing debt: now monographs

53 analyze his writings on art theory, his activity as a painter, and the relationship between the two, while his paintings may be regularly seen at important international exhibitions.

54 But the literature has not included the following painting from a private collection which we are introducing below (fig. 79).

55 The painting, which shows a seated couple chatting while leaning over a narrow wooden table, behind which we see a boy bringing a pitcher of wine and glasses, had been ascribed to Jan Steen on the basis of the letters inscribed on the curling edge of the sheet of paper depicted in the upper left corner.

56 As regards its style, however, this genre scene shows no kinship whatever to the works of Jan Steen. But the tonality of warm earth colors, highlighted in one place by the contrast of lively red and white, the handling of the chiaroscuro by means of adumbrating the mellow dark areas and the golden gloaming of the incident light - all of these much rather belong to the painterly means employed by the school of Rembrandt. At the same time we should recall that we are not looking at a 'Tegular" genre painting here, since the scene with three figures is depicted in a picture within the picture, a canvas applied to a wooden board so that its upper left corner is curled far back, revealing, on the illusionistic palisade behind it, the above-mentioned sheet of paper tacked on with a painted nail. Framed on this sheet, in black and white, we see repeated in mirror-image, as if in an etching, the pair of figures seated at the table. This multiple "twist" unequivocally points to Samuel van Hoogstraten, who intended to achieve a surprise effect by a perfect imitation of reality 52 Houbraken, A., De Groote Schouburgh der Nederlantsche Konstschilders en Schilderessen, 1-3. Amsterdam 1718-1721, 3. p. 137. 53 Since the comprehensive entries on Hoogstraten in W. Sumowski's monographs ( 1979fT. Zeichnungen, 1983ff. Gemälde - see Note 1) the following have appeared: Roscam Abbing, M., Van Hoogstraten. Iconografie van een famille, Amsterdam 1987; Roscam Abbing, M. - Thissen, P., Deschilder en Schrijver Samuel van Hoogstraten, 1627-1678: Eigentijdse bronnen en oeuvre van gesigneerde schilderijen, Leiden 1993; Brusati, C, Artifice and Illusion: The Arts and Writing of Samuel van Hoogstraten, Chicago 1995. 54 Holländische Malerei in neuem Licht, Basel 1987; Rembrandt: Der Meister und seine Werkstatt, Berlin - Amsterdam - London 1991-92; De sichtbaere werelt: Schilderkunst uit de Gouden Eeuw in Holland oudste stad, Dordrecht 1992; Leselust, Niederländische Malerei von Rembrandt bis Vermeer, Frankfurt am Main 1993; Rembrandt: A Genius and his Impact, Melbourne - Canberra 1997-98. 55 Oil on canvas, 65.2 x 50.6 cm. Photo courtesy of the owner, copyright Laboratorio di Restauro opere d'arte Nicola, Aramengo. 56

1 was unable to study the painting firsthand; my statements are based on a high-quality color slide. Thus I was unable to ascertain whether the inscription "Steif (?) is original or a later addition.