Ferdinand Bol Dordrecht 1616 Amsterdam 1680

Transcription

1 1 Ferdinand Bol Dordrecht 1616 Amsterdam 1680 Painter of history and portraits. Probably a pupil of Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp in Dordrecht before moving to Amsterdam. Active in Rembrandt s studio c as a pupil and collaborator. During the 1650s Rembrandt s influence became less marked and his style was influenced by the Flemish baroque. He painted monumental scenes for Amsterdam s town hall. He seems to have stopped painting after marrying a rich widow in #1 Study Sheet with Sarah and Isaac (?), and a Boy with a Beret Black chalk, pen and brown ink, brown and grey wash, corrections with white body-colour, 265x189 mm NM 2010/1863 Ruled framing lines in brown ink (partly cut away). Watermark: Horn. Chain lines: 22 mm. Numbered in the lower right corner 1814 (Sparre) and 186 (struck out), in pen and brown ink. Mark of the Royal Collection (Lugt 1638).

2 2 Provenance: Crozat *C. G. Tessin (List , t. 46v, Rembrandt; Cat. 1749, livre 15, no. 63, Rembrandt) *Kongl. Biblioteket (Cat. 1790, no. 1814, Rembrandt) *Kongl. Museum (Lugt 1638) Bibliography: Michel 1893, p. 594 (Rembrandt) *Hofstede de Groot 1906, no (Rembrandt) *Kruse & Neumann 1920, no. IV:38 (Ph. Koninck?) *Kruse & Neumann 1921, no. IV:38 (Ph. Koninck?) *H. Gerson, Philips Koninck, Berlin 1936, p. 172, no. Z.LI (Bol?) *Henkel 1942, p. 8, under no. 18, and p. 88, under no. 1 (Horst?) *L. Münz, A Critical Catalogue of Rembrandt's Etchings, London 1952, II, p. 87, under no. 176 (school) *W. Sumovski, "Bemerkungen su Otto Beneschs Corpus der Rembrandt- Zeichnungen", Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift der Humbolt- Universität zu Berlin, VI (1956/57), p. 229 (Horst) *Sumovski, Drawings, , no. 99 *A. Blankert, Ferdinand Bol ( ). Rembrandt s Pupil, Dornspijk 1982, under no. 137 *Sumowski, Gemälde, 1983, under no. 118 *B. Broos, W. Sumowski, Drawings of the Rembrandt school, Oud Holland, 98 (1984), p Exhibitions: Stockholm, 1967, no. 282 (Horst) *Paris - Brussels - Amsterdam, Dessins de Stockholm, , no. 91 *Stockholm 1992, no. 162 The woman is caressing the boy s chin. Above is a more detailed sketch of a boy, possibly a live study for the boy below. The boy s right foot is left out, since the woman s head occupies the space; thus it was added after the woman was drawn. There is also a sketch of a face, in the same position as that of the woman, as if the drawing had been started further up or the geometry of the face studied anew. Hofstede de Groot interpreted the scene as Sarah caressing the young Isaac, comparing it with the etching Abraham and Isaac (Bartsch 33). The theme is not known from other representations in Rembrandt s circle. M. Snickare (Stockholm 1992) believed it to represent Hagar and Ishmael, a theme frequently treated, comparing it in particular to a chalk drawing in the Albertina, Wien, where the relationship between the two is similar. 1 Kruse's attribution to Phillip Koninck was not accepted by Gerson, who suggested Bol. Henkel attributed the drawing to Horst, and this was at first accepted by Sumowski and Bjurström. However, in (exh. cat.) Bjurström instead gave it to Bol, and Sumowski agreed, comparing the study of the boy with Bol's painting Boy with an Apple in Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach. 2 The sweeping pen strokes, summary hatchings and wash that brings out the volumes is characteristic. Sumowski dates the drawing in the middle of the 1640s, comparing it with drawings like the man in an oriental dress in Stockholm (Cat. #). 1 Benesch 1973, II, no Blankert, op.cit., no. 137; Sumowski, Gemälde, 1983, no. 118

3 3 [Bol] #2 Standing Man in Oriental Dress Pen and brown ink, 230x171 mm NM 2050/1863 The ink has eaten through the paper in the darkest areas. No watermark. Chain lines: mm. Numbered in the lower right corner 1850 (Sparre) and 195 (struck out), pen and brown ink. Mark of the Royal Collection (Lugt 1638). Provenance: Crozat *C. G. Tessin (List , p. 46v, Rembrandt; Cat. 1749, livre 15, no. 27, Rembrandt) *Kongl. Biblioteket (Cat. 1790, no. 1850, Rembrandt) *Kongl. Museum (Lugt 1638) Bibliography: Hofstede de Groot 1906, no ( Rembrandt) *Kruse & Neumann 1920, no. IV:5 (Bol?) *Kruse & Neumann 1921, no. IV:5 (Bol?) *H. Gerson, Philips Koninck, Berlin 1936, under no. Z.LX *Sumowski, Drawings, 1979, no. 226 x

4 4 Exhibitions: Stockholm, 1967, no. 281 (Horst) *Stockholm 1992, no The traditional attribution of this drawing to Rembrandt begun to be questioned in the early 20 th century. Saxl and Schmidt-Degener were among the first to suggest Bol. 3 This attribution was generally approved, although Bjurström in 1967 suggested Horst in analogy with the previous drawing. The two drawing are by the same hand, and Sumowski dates them to the mid 1640s. However he notes that the style is the same as the a portrait of admiral de Reyter in Bremen, as well as a self portrait formerly in Bremen, which he give a later date. 4 The physiognomy is similar to that of a Standing oriental painted around The man is wearing an oriental dress, the signs in the lower border of his garment, and the turban with a feather occur in contemporary depictions of Old Testament figures. Using oriental dress for biblical figures was common, and Carl Gustaf Tessin believed the figure represented Herode or Pilate. The sketchy manner with corrections suggest that it was drawn from a live model in the studio. The figure is also reminiscent of Rembrandt s drawings of actors. It could be that Bol made this drawing while still in Rembrandt s studio, using the equipment there. 6 3 Kruse & Neumann, op.cit. 4 Sumowski, Drawings, 1979, nos. 121 (c. 1667), and 105 (1653). 5 A. Blankert, Ferdinand Bol ( ). Rembrandt s Pupil, Dornspijk 1982, no Cf. Rembrandt s Oriental standing of c in the British Museum (Benesch 1973, II, no. 207; Royalton- Kisch 1992, p. 87, no. 30).

5 5 [Bol] #4 An Old and a Young Woman in Conversation Pen and brown ink, 123x71 mm NM 2037/1863 No watermark. Chain lines: 26 mm. Numbered in the lower right corner 1838 (Sparre), 190 (struck out) and 188? (struck out), pen and brown ink. Mark of the Royal Collection (Lugt 1638). Provenance: Crozat *C. G. Tessin (List , p. 46v, Rembrandt; Cat. 1749, livre 15, no. 42, Rembrandt) *Kongl. Biblioteket (Cat. 1790, no. 1838, Rembrandt) *Kongl. Museum (Lugt 1638). Bibliography: Hofstede de Groot 1906, no (Rembrandt) *Kruse & Neumann 1920, no. IV:25 (Rembrandt) *Kruse & Neumann 1921, no. IV:25 (Rembrandt) * Valentiner II, 1934, no. 612 (Rembrandt) *O. Benesch, Rembrandt, Werk und Forschung, Wien 1935, p. 38 (Rembrandt) *L. Münz, A Critical Cataligue of Rembrandt's Etchings, London 1952, under no. 95, II, pl. VII *Benesch 1954/7, *G. Björklund & Barnard, Rembrandt's Etchings, true and false, Stockholm 1955, under no. 42 (Rembrandt) *W. Sumovski, Bemerkungen

6 6 zu Otto Benesch Corpus der Rembrandtzeichnungen II, Bad Pyrmont 1961, p. 14 (Bol?) *White & Boon, 1969, under no. B356 (Rembrandt?) * R. Roy, Studien zu Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, 1972, p. 99 (Rembrandt) *Benesch 1973, nr. 738 (Rembrandt) *M. Bernhard, Rembrandt, Handzeichnungen, Munich 1976, II, p. 309 (Rembrandt) *Chr. A. Tümpel, Ruth erklärt Naemi die Treue von Pieter Lastman. Zur Genese eines typischen Barockthemas, Niederdeutsche Beiträge zur Kunstgeschichte, 8 (1978), p.97ff, fig. 17 (Bol) *Sumovski, Drawings, no. 207 x *B. Broos, W. Sumowski, Drawings of the Rembrandt School, Oud Holland, 98 (1984), p. 182 Exhibitions: Amsterdam, 1935, no. 56 (Rembrandt) *Stockholm 1956, no. 114 (Rembrandt) *Rotterdam, Museum Boymans - Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, Rembrandt tekeningen, 1956, no. 106 (Rembrandt) *Wien, Albertina, Rembrandt, 1956, no. 62 (Rembrandt) *Stockholm 1967, *Stockholm 1992, no. 163 Valentiner argued that the two figures represent Vertumnus disguised as an old woman arguing his case in front of Pomona. Tümpel, on the other hand, suggests that the drawing represents Ruth and Naomi on the way to Bethlehem. Naomi tried in vain to dissuade her step daughter from following her. The air of respectful listening on the part of the younger woman fits better with Ruth, than with the disdainful Pomona, who was unmoved by Vertumnus arguments. Most scholars have accepted the traditional attribution Rembrandt, including Benesch. The economy of the drawing, with a first sketch in fine lines, reworked with broader strokes, the delicate rendering of the features of he intensely listening Ruth/Pomona would seem to support the attribution. However, Bol s authorship has repetedly been proposed, and Sumowski makes the attribution on stylistic grounds, and lists several drawing probably by the same hand, dating them in the early 1640s.

7 7 [Bol] #4 Scholar Pondering at a Desk Pen and brown ink, 116x100 mm NM 2068/1863 (recto), 2070/1863 (verso) Ruled framing lines in brown ink. Small hole in the lower left corner, repaired.

8 8 Verso: Standing man with a bottle and a glass, pen and brown ink No watermark. Chain lines: 25 mm. Numbered in the lower right corner 1868 (Sparre) and 216 (struck out), pen and brown ink. Mark of the Royal Collection (Lugt 1638). Provenance: Crozat *C. G. Tessin (List , p. 46v, Rembrandt; Cat. 1749, livre 15, no. 11, Rembrandt) *Kongl. Biblioteket (Cat. 1790, no. 1868, Rembrandt) *Kongl. Museum (Lugt 1638). Bibliography: Hofstede de Groot 1906, no (Rembrandt) *Kruse & Neumann 1920, no. IV:31-32, probably Bol) *Kruse & Neumann 1921, no. IV:31-32, probably Bol) *von Seidlitz, Die Radierungen Rembrandts, Leipzig 1922, under no. 148 (not Rembrandt) *Bock & Rosenberg 1930, under no (Rembrandt) *Lugt , p. 63 *L. Münz, A Critical Catalogue of Rembrandt's Etchings, London 1952, II, under no. 260 (probably Bol) *W. R. Valentiner, "Drawings by Bol", Art Quarterly, XX (1957), p. 55 (Rembrandt) *S. Slive, Drawings of Rembrandt, New York 1965, p. 276, fig. 4 *Sumowski, Drawings, 1982, no. 160 x (recto), 161 x (verso). Exhibitions: Stockholm 1967, no. 269 *Paris-Brussels- Amsterdam, Dessins de Stockholm, , no. 90 *Stockholm 1992, no. 164

9 9 The motif of a scholar in his studio occurs several times in Rembrandt s oeuvre during the 1630s, and Bol returned to it repetedly. Kruse, who first attributed the drawing to him, draws attention to his prints, in particular the Meditating philosopher. 7 Kruse suggest a date around 1642, while Sumowski seems to prefer an earlier date, at the beginning of Bol s appreticeship with Rembrandt. There is a copy of the drawing in Berlin, that Valentiner thought was by Bol. 8 7 Hollstein, III, no Bock & Rosenberg 1930, no

10 10 [Bol] #5 Old Man at a Pulpit and a Man Kneeling Below Pen and brown ink, 220x188 mm NM 2030 (recto), 2032 (verso)/1863

11 11 Verso: A man at a table, the head of a man and a woman with a hood, pen and brown ink A strip of the paper at the top was previously covered and has a lighter tone. No watermark. Chain lines: mm. Numbered in the lower right corner 1832 (Sparre) and 189 (struck out), pen and brown ink. Mark of the Royal Collection (Lugt 1638). Provenance: Crozat *C. G. Tessin (List , p. 46v (Rembrandt); Cat. 1749, livre 15, no. 41 (Rembrandt)) *Kongl. Biblioteket (Cat. 1790, no (Rembrandt)) *Kongl. Museum (Lugt 1638) Bibliography: Hofstede de Groot 1906, no (Rembrandt) *C. Neumann, Rembrandts Handzeichnungen, München 1919, no. 49 (Rembrandt) *Kruse & Neumann 1920, no. II:8 (recto), II:17 (verso) (Rembrandt) *Kruse & Neumann 1921, no. II:8 (recto), II:17 (verso) (Rembrandt) * M. Bernhard, Rembrandt Handzeichnungen, I-II, München 1976, p. 256 (Rembrandt; erroneously as in Amsterdam) Exhibitions: Stockholm 1992, no. 166

12 12 The figures can not be associated with a known theme, although the scene on the recto may suggest an Old Testament theme. Stylistically the drawings are close to some of Rembrandt s drawings from c However the drawing has not been discussed by scholars since the 1920s, with the exception of Bernhard. More recently Bol was suggested by Haverkamp-Begemann (note on the mount 1987). In that case it would be an early drawing, made in Rembrandt s studio around Fondation Custodia, Paris: 87; M. van Berge-Gerbaud, Rembrandt et son école. Dessins de la collection Fritz Lugt, Paris 1997, no.1. British Museum, London: Benesch 1973, II, no.327; Royalton-Kisch 1992, no. 8.

13 13 [Bol] #6 Old Man with a High Head Gear Pen and brown ink, brown wash, 72x47 mm NM 2019/1863 No watermark. Chain lines: 23 mm. Numbered in the upper right corner 1821 (Sparre), and in the lower right corner 207 (struck out), pen and brown ink. Mark of the Royal Collection (Lugt 1638). Provenance: Crozat *C. G. Tessin (List , p. 46v (Rembrandt); Cat. 1749, livre 15, no. 56 (Rembrandt)) *Kongl. Biblioteket (Cat. 1790, no (Rembrandt) *Kongl. Museum (Lugt 1638) Bibliography: Hofstede de Groot 1906, no (Rembrandt) *Kruse & Neumann 1920, no. IV:45 (school) *Kruse & Neumann 1921, no. IV:45 (school) Exhibitions: Stockholm 1992, no. 167

14 14 According to Kruse several scholars connected the drawings with a woodcut ascribed to Lievens, and Saxl is reported to have given the drawing to Lievens as well. M. Snickare (exh. cat. 1992) suggests Bol, comparing it to his drawing of a standing oriental in this collection (Cat. #), as well as other drawings by Bol, such as Nathan exhorting David at Windsor, a Bearded old man (Nathan?) in Munich. 10 The model is probably the same as in a Standing High Priest in Wroclaw Sumowski, Drawings, 1, 1979, nos. 134x, 163x (late 1630s). 11 Sumowski, Drawings, 1, 1979, no. 165x (late 1630s).