Christiaen Gillisz. van Couwenbergh
The Fall of Man
Oil on canvas
182 x 202 cm
Bavarian State Painting Collections
The fall of man, or the fall, is a term used in Christianity to describe the transition of the first man and woman from a state of innocent obedience to God to a state of guilty disobedience. Although not named in the Bible, the doctrine of the fall comes from a biblical interpretation of Genesis chapter 3. At first, Adam and Eve lived with God in the Garden of Eden, but the serpent tempted them into eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which God had forbidden. After doing so, they became ashamed of their nakedness and God expelled them from the Garden to prevent them from eating from the tree of life and becoming immortal. More on The Fall of Man
Couwenbergh was born in Delft. His father Gillis was a silversmith, engraver, and art dealer from Mechelen. Gillis had moved to Delft before 1604 where he married Adriaantje Vosmaer, the sister of the flower painter Jacob Vosmaer. Christiaen learned to paint from Johan van Nes, and then entered the Guild of St. Luke in Delft in 1627. He then travelled back and forth to Italy.
Christiaen van Couwenbergh (Delft 1604-1667 Cologne)
Woman with a Basket of Fruit, c. 1642
Oil on canvas
107,5 x 93 cm
Gemäldesammlung der Universität, Göttingen
A ripe young woman stands in a doorway holding a tapestry aside with the back if her hand. She carries a basket overflowing with fruit, quite as her bodice seems about to spill its abundant contents. Although the woman presumably is entering the room in which the viewer finds himself (that he is male need not be debated), it also seems that she has paused in the doorway, inviting him to withdraw to a private space.
The painting has also be said to represent Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit. While classical and even biblical references often served as pretexts for including sexy pictures in the seventeenth century collections, there are few works for which such a claim is less convincing. Van Couwenbergh's canvas is an exceptionally straightforward version of a type of painting that first flourished in Utrecht during the 1620s and became popular in court circles at The Hague between about 1635 and 1650. Gerard van Honthorst and Paulus Moreelse often painted courtesans dressed as shepherdess, a bird in the hand or an offer of fruit may recall Venus, Eve, Pomona, or some other ancient prototype, but the costumes, with tantalizingly low necklines, and the blond tresses framing Dutch faces must have made contemporary viewers feel right at home. More on this painting
Christiaen van Couwenbergh (Delft 1604-1667 Cologne)
A merry company drinking and playing music
Oil on canvas
42 x 58 3/8 in. (106.7 x 148.2 cm.)
Private collection
Active in Delft from at least 1627 until he settled in The Hague around 1646 or 1647, Christiaen van Couwenbergh may have spent a formative few years in Utrecht in the early 1620s, where he came under the influence of the city's Caravaggesque painters, including Dirck van Baburen and Gerrit van Honthorst. Like Honthorst, van Couwenbergh received important commissions from the House of Orange, including at the Palace of Honselaarsdijk (1638), Huis ter Nieuwburg (1642-1643), Noordeinde Palace (1647) and the exceptional Oranjezaal at the Huis ten Bosch (1648-1651). More on this painting
Christian van Couwenbergh
Game Still Life with a Hunter and Maid
Oil on canvas
140.5 x 188 cm
Private collection
Christian van Couwenbergh
The Capture of Samson, c. 1630
Oil on canvas
156 x 196 cm
Dordrechts Museum, Dordrecht
Samson is betrayed by his lover Delilah, who, sent by the Philistines officials to entice him,[5] orders a servant to cut his hair while he is sleeping and turns him over to his Philistine enemies, who gouge out his eyes and force him to grind grain in a mill at Gaza.
This painting was purchased by the city of Dordrecht in 1632 and installed in the meeting room of the town hall.
The two main figures and the general arrangement of the interior in Van Couwenbergh's picture are based upon an engraving of about 1613 by the Haarlem artist Jacob Matham (1571-1631) after Rubens's large panel Samson and Delilah in the National Gallery, London. Van Couwenbergh referred to engravings after Rubens on several occasions. His father, Gillis, was an engraver and art dealer as well as a silversmith in Delft, so that the painter probably had access to a large stock of prints. Rubens's tour of the northern Netherlands in July 1627 - he visited Delft and was honoured at a banquet given by Van Honthorst in Utrecht - and the Flemish master's stature at the Dutch court must also have made an impression upon the young history painter, whose work in the 1620s was mostly confined to amusing genre scenes. More on this painting
Christiaen van Couwenbergh (Delft 1604-1667 Cologne)
The prodigal son, c. between 1673 and 1679
Oil on canvas
Height: 113.0cm; Width: 137.5 cm
Museum Kunstpalast
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the parables of Jesus Christ, which he shares it with his disciples, the Pharisees and others.
In the story, a father has two sons. The younger son asks for his inheritance and after wasting his fortune, becomes destitute. He returns home with the intention of begging his father to be made one of his hired servants, expecting his relationship with his father is likely severed. The father welcomes him back and celebrates his return. The older son refuses to participate. The father reminds the older son that one day he will inherit everything. But, they should still celebrate the return of the younger son because he was lost and is now found. More on the prodigal son
Christiaen van Couwenbergh (1604–1667)
Joseph and Potiphar's Wife, c. 1626
Oil on canvas
43 cm (56.2 in)
Galerie Bassenge
Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Joseph works hard for his master, Potʹi·phar. So when Joseph grows older, Potʹi·phar puts him in charge of his whole house.
Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. 9 No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”
So when her husband comes home, she lies to him and says: ‘Joseph tried to lie down with me!’ Potʹi·phar believes his wife, and he is very angry with Joseph. So he has him thrown into prison. More on Joseph and Potiphar's Wife
Christian van Couwenbergh
The Finding of Moses
Oil on canvas
51¾ x 63¼ in.
Private collection
PHARAOH, becoming alarmed at the increasing power and numbers of the Israelites in Egypt, ordered that every male child who might be born to them should be cast into the river, and drowned. But the wife of a man named Levi felt that she could not give up her baby, and for three months she hid him.
When she could hide him no longer, she prepared a basket of rushes, and coated it with pitch, so that it would float upon the river and keep out the water. In this ark she placed her infant son, and hid the ark among the flags and bulrushes on the river-bank, and set the child's sister to watch it.
Now it happened that the daughter of Pharaoh came with her maidens to bathe in the river; and when she saw the basket she sent one of her maids to fetch it. And when she looked at the child he wept, and she had compassion for him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children," she said. Then the child's sister, who was watching, came forward and said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I call to thee a Hebrew woman that she may nurse the child for thee?" And when the princess said, "Go!" she, the little sister of Moses, went and called her own mother, to whom Pharaoh's daughter said, "Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will give thee thy wages." More The Finding of Moses
Christiaen van Couwenbergh
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
122 x 147 cm
Oil on canvas
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, Nantes
The subject of the painting is an incident that occurred while Christ was visiting the two sisters Martha and Mary. Martha complained that Mary, who was sitting listening to Christ's words, was not helping with the serving. Christ answered Martha's complaint by saying: "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
This subject was more popular among Flemish artists than Dutch, possibly because of the religious connotations of the story. Martha and Mary represented two opposing personalities: the active and the contemplative. Christ's defense of the contemplative life suited Jesuit ideals. More on Martha and Mary
After his return, he settled in The Hague where he joined the Confrerie Pictura in 1647 and became deacon in 1649. He specialized in large historical allegories as wall decorations, often with life-sized nudes. He not only painted, but also produced drawings and designs for tapestries. His patrons were Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, among other royal admirers, for wall decorations at Huis ter Nieuwburg, Huis ten Bosch and Huis Honselaarsdijk. Queen Christina of Sweden purchased a series of tapestries designed by him.
He later moved to Cologne between 1654-1656, where he later died. He is known for portraits and historical allegories and is judged to be one of those influenced by Caravaggio. More on Christiaen van Couwenbergh
Christiaen van Couwenbergh (Delft 1604-1667 Cologne)
Diana after the hunt, with a portrait of the artist
Oil on canvas
87 ½ x 74 7/8 in. (222.8 x 190.4 cm.)
Private collection
Christiaen van Couwenbergh (Delft 1604-1667 Cologne)
Nymph and Satyr
Oil on panel, 89 x 73 cm
Private collection
A nymph in Greek and Latin mythology is a minor female nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from other goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing; their amorous freedom sets them apart from the restricted and chaste wives and daughters of the Greek polis. They are beloved by many and dwell in mountainous regions and forests by lakes and streams. Although they would never die of old age nor illness, and could give birth to fully immortal children if mated to a god, they themselves were not necessarily immortal, and could be beholden to death in various forms. More on nymphs
In Greek mythology, a satyr is the member of a troop of ithyphallic male companions of Dionysus; they usually have horse-like ears and tails, as well as permanent, exaggerated erections. Early artistic representations sometimes include horse-like legs, but, in 6th-century BC black-figure pottery, human legs are the most common. The faun is a similar woodland-dwelling creature from Roman mythology, which had the body of a man, but the legs, horns, and tail of a goat. In myths, both are often associated with pipe-playing. Greek-speaking Romans often used the Greek term saturos when referring to the Latin faunus, and eventually syncretized the two (the female "Satyresses" were a later invention of poets). They are also known for their focus on sexual desires. They were characterized by the desire to have sexual intercourse with as many women as possible, known as satyriasis. More on a satyr
Attributed to Christian van Couwenbergh
Aeneas Taking Leave from Dido
Oil on canvas
62 7/8 by 70 1/2 in
Private collection
One of the Trojan heroes, Aeneas wandered for six years after the fall of Troy and reached Carthage for some rest. The queen Dido welcomed them whole-heartedly and heard their story. During his stay, Aeneas and Dido fell in love with each other and Dido declared him her lord and began to rule Carthage together.
But, Aeneas had many tasks to accomplish yet. He was contacted by Jupiter through Mercury to remind him of his yet to complete tasks. The religious Aeneas had no other choice but obey him.
Dido felt betrayed and ashamed against all her citizens and relatives. At that moment, she cursed Aeneas and declared the enmity between Carthage and Rome which ultimately led those cities into the infamous Punic wars. More on Aeneas and Dido
Attributed to Christian van Couwenbergh
Venus and Adonis, c. 1645
Oil on canvas
136 x 171 cm
Private collection
Venus and Adonis is a narrative poem by William Shakespeare published in 1593, the same year that Christopher Marlowe published Hero and Leander and Thomas Nashe published The Choice of Valentines, all three classic erotic poems. It is probably Shakespeare's first publication.
The poem tells the story of Venus, who is Goddess of Love, and her attempted seduction of Adonis, an extremely handsome young man, who would rather go hunting. The poem is dramatic, pastoral, and at times erotic, comic, tragic, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral. It contains discourses on the nature of love, and many brilliantly described observations of nature. More Venus and Adonis
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