Bentvueghels
Encyclopedia
Dutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
and Flemish
Flemish painting
Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century. Flanders delivered the leading painters in Northern Europe and attracted many promising young painters from neighbouring countries. These painters were invited to work at foreign courts and had a Europe-wide influence...
artists active in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
from about 1620 to 1720. They are also known as the Schildersbent ("painters' clique").
Activities
The members, which included painters, etchers, sculptors and poets, all lived in different parts of the city (mostly the parishes of Santa Maria del PopoloSanta Maria del Popolo
Santa Maria del Popolo is an Augustinian church located in Rome, Italy.It stands to the north side of the Piazza del Popolo, one of the most famous squares in the city. The Piazza is situated between the ancient Porta Flaminia and the park of the Pincio...
and San Lorenzo in Lucina
San Lorenzo in Lucina
The Church of St Lawrence's at Lucina is a Roman Catholic parish and titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, dedicated to Saint Lawrence, Roman deacon and martyr. The name Lucina comes from the Roman matron owner of the house on which the church was built.The current Cardinal Priest of...
in the north of the city) and came together for social and intellectual reasons. The group was well-known for its drunken, Bacchic
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
initiation rituals (paid for by the initiate). These celebrations, sometimes lasting up to 24 hours, concluded with group marching to the church of Santa Costanza
Santa Costanza
Santa Costanza is a 4th century church in Rome, Italy, on the Via Nomentana, which runs north-east out of the city, still under its ancient name. According to the traditional view, it was built under Constantine I as a mausoleum for his daughter Constantina who died in 354 AD...
, known popularly at the time as the Temple of Bacchus. There they and made libation
Libation
A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid as an offering to a god or spirit or in memory of those who have died. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in various cultures today....
s to Bacchus before the porphyry sarcophagus of Constantina
Constantina
Constantina , and later known as Saint Constance, was the eldest daughter of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great and his second wife Fausta, daughter of Emperor Maximian...
(now in the Vatican Museums
Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums , in Viale Vaticano in Rome, inside the Vatican City, are among the greatest museums in the world, since they display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries, including some of the most renowned classical sculptures and...
), which was considered to be his tomb because of its Bacchic motifs. A list of its members may still be seen in one of this church's side chapels. This practice was finally banned by Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI , born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was Pope from 1700 until his death in 1721.-Early life:...
in 1720.
Despite the rowdy nature of these initiations, an intellectual quality was maintained. Joachim von Sandrart
Joachim von Sandrart
Joachim von Sandrart was a German Baroque art-historian and painter, active in Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age.-Biography:Sandrart was born in Frankfurt, but the family originated from Mons...
, for example, wrote in his 1675-1679 book, Teutsche Academie der edlen Bau-, Bild und Malereikünste (German Academy of the Noble Arts of Architecture, Sculpture and Painting), that his "baptism" included "reasoned discourses, undertaken by French and Italians, as well as by Germans and Netherlanders, each in his own tongue." Also Cornelis de Bruijn
Cornelis de Bruijn
Cornelis de Bruijn was a Dutch artist and traveler. He made two large tours and published illustrated books with his observations of people, buildings, plants and animals.- Biography :...
wrote about the rituals he had to undergo in 1674 and made some engravings, which he published in 1698.
The Bentvueghels and the Accademia di San Luca
The Bentvueghels were frequently at odds with Rome's Accademia di San LucaAccademia di San Luca
The Accademia di San Luca, was founded in 1577 as an association of artists in Rome, under the directorship of Federico Zuccari, with the purpose of elevating the work of "artists", which included painters, sculptors and architects, above that of mere craftsmen. Other founders included Girolamo...
("Academy of Saint Luke"), which had the purpose of elevating the work of "artists" above that of craftsman. For this reason, before setting off for Italy, artists would first try to become members in their local Guild of St. Luke so they would have papers to show on arrival. Travel to Italy became a rite of passage for young Dutch and Flemish artists after publication of Karel van Mander's Schilder-boeck in 1604. Often encompassing a difficult and in many cases dangerous journey, artists would spend years getting to Italy, using their artistic talents to pay their way. Many never made it all the way to Italy, and many never attempted the trip back once they got there.
On arrival, many artists were therefore fairly established thanks to their work experience done along the way. However, equally many were still young and unknown. What they all did have by the time they arrived in Rome, was an overwhelming feeling of self-confidence in their ability to live by their own work, and membership in the Accademia had little relevance for them.
Traditionally, the low-brow qualities of the Bentvueghel's activities have been emphasized over their intellectual and artistic pursuits. David Levine suggests instead that "academic art-pedagogy, with its emphasis on repetitive copying, might well have struck members of the Bent [the Bentvueghels] as a low, mechanical process in contrast to their truly humanistic approach." Artists such as Pieter van Laer
Pieter van Laer
Pieter van Laer was a Dutch Golden Age painter of genre scenes, active for over a decade in Rome, where his nickname was Il Bamboccio...
, however, belonged to both organisations.
Known Members
The earliest-known publication listing the members is the book by Arnold HoubrakenArnold Houbraken
Arnold Houbraken was a Dutch painter and writer from Dordrecht, now remembered mainly as a biographer of artists from the Dutch Golden Age. He had ten children. His son Jacobus Houbraken was an engraver of portraits and book illustrations, including books by his father...
, an artist and engraver who never traveled to Italy, but who used the Bentvueghels membership list as a source for his book, De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen, in 1718. Whenever possible, he gives the nickname or bent of the painter in his biographical sketches.
The earliest-known group picture is commemorated in an anonymous drawing in the Rotterdam (Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen), which was made about 1620, and includes Cornelis van Poelenburch, Peter van Bloemen
Peter van Bloemen
Pieter van Bloemen, called Standaart , first name also spelled Peter or Peeter, was a Flemish painter....
, Bartholomeus Breenbergh
Bartholomeus Breenbergh
Bartholomeus Breenbergh was a Dutch Golden Age painter of Italianate landscapes.-Biography:Little is known of his early life. In his famous three volume Schouburg, Arnold Houbraken mentioned him in his first volume with an entreaty to readers to write him with more news of Breenberg's biography...
, Dirck van Baburen
Dirck van Baburen
Dirck Jaspersz. van Baburen was a Dutch painter associated with the Utrecht Caravaggisti.-Biography:Dirck van Baburen was probably born in Wijk bij Duurstede, but his family moved to Utrecht when he was still young. He was also known as Teodoer van Baburen and Theodor Baburen...
, Paulus Bor
Paulus Bor
Paulus Bor was a Dutch painter.Bor was descended from a notable Catholic family. He made a study trip to Rome, where he was one of the founders of the Bentvueghels, taking the nickname Orlando...
, Cornelis Schut
Cornelis Schut
Cornelis Schut was a Flemish Baroque painter, draughtsman and engraver active in Italy and Antwerp.-Biography:...
and Simon Ardé. Upon initiation, members were given aliases that were often classical gods and heroes, such as Bacchus, Cupid, Hector, Meleager, Cephalus, Pyramus, Orpheus, etc. Sometimes, however, the aliases were witty or semi-obscene in keeping with the general activities of the society.
Some of the members with known aliases
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
or 'bent'-names:
- Willem van AelstWillem van AelstWillem van Aelst was a Dutch artist who specialized in still-life painting with flowers or game.-Biography:...
- "Vogelverschrikker" ("ScarecrowScarecrowA scarecrow is, essentially, a decoy, though traditionally, a human figure dressed in old clothes and placed in fields by farmers to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.-History:In Kojiki, the oldest surviving book in Japan...
") - Jan AsselijnJan Asselijn-Biography:Asselijn was born at Dieppe. He received instruction from Esaias van de Velde , and distinguished himself particularly in landscape and animal painting, though his historical works and battle pieces are also admired. He traveled in France and Italy, and modeled his style after Bamboccio...
- "Crabbetje", because of a handicap on his right hand - Dirck van BaburenDirck van BaburenDirck Jaspersz. van Baburen was a Dutch painter associated with the Utrecht Caravaggisti.-Biography:Dirck van Baburen was probably born in Wijk bij Duurstede, but his family moved to Utrecht when he was still young. He was also known as Teodoer van Baburen and Theodor Baburen...
- "Biervlieg" ("Beer fly") - Jan van BijlertJan van BijlertJan Hermansz van Bijlert was a Dutch portrait painter in the style of Caravaggio.-Biography:Jan van Bijlert was born at Utrecht, the son of a the stained glass worker Herman Beernts van Bijlert, and became a student of Abraham Bloemaert. He moved to Amsterdam, where he married in 1625.. He...
was one of the founders - Cornelis BloemaertCornelis BloemaertCornelis Bloemaert II , was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver.-Biography:Bloemaert was born at Utrecht. He studied with his father, Abraham Bloemaert, his brothers Hendrick and Adriaan, and his father's pupil, Gerard van Honthorst...
- "Winter" - Jan Frans van BloemenJan Frans van BloemenJan Frans van Bloemen was a Flemish landscape painter of the Baroque period.Born in Antwerp, van Bloemen was a younger brother of Pieter van Bloemen, who had left for Rome in 1674, where Jan Frans joined him in 1689. In 1690 a third painting brother, Norbert van Bloemen , joined them as well...
- "Orizonte" - Peter van BloemenPeter van BloemenPieter van Bloemen, called Standaart , first name also spelled Peter or Peeter, was a Flemish painter....
- "lo Stendardo" - Paulus BorPaulus BorPaulus Bor was a Dutch painter.Bor was descended from a notable Catholic family. He made a study trip to Rome, where he was one of the founders of the Bentvueghels, taking the nickname Orlando...
- "OrlandoRolandRoland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. Historically, Roland was military governor of the Breton March, with responsibility for defending the frontier of Francia against the Bretons...
" - Leonard Bramer - "Nestelghat"
- Bartholomeus BreenberghBartholomeus BreenberghBartholomeus Breenbergh was a Dutch Golden Age painter of Italianate landscapes.-Biography:Little is known of his early life. In his famous three volume Schouburg, Arnold Houbraken mentioned him in his first volume with an entreaty to readers to write him with more news of Breenberg's biography...
- "Het Fret" ("the FerretFerretThe ferret is a domesticated mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females. They typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur...
") - Cornelis de BruijnCornelis de BruijnCornelis de Bruijn was a Dutch artist and traveler. He made two large tours and published illustrated books with his observations of people, buildings, plants and animals.- Biography :...
- "AdonisAdonisAdonis , in Greek mythology, the god of beauty and desire, is a figure with Northwest Semitic antecedents, where he is a central figure in various mystery religions. The Greek , Adōnis is a variation of the Semitic word Adonai, "lord", which is also one of the names used to refer to God in the Old...
" - Wouter Crabeth IIWouter Crabeth II-Biography:Wouter Crabeth was born in Gouda in 1594, the son of the writer and politician Pieter Woutersz. Crabeth. He was named after his grandfather Wouter Crabeth I, who was a celebrated master glassmaker. Crabeth took an apprenticeship under Cornelis Ketel, uncle of Cornelis Ketel le Jeune, who...
- "Almanack" ("AlmanacAlmanacAn almanac is an annual publication that includes information such as weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, and tide tables, containing tabular information in a particular field or fields often arranged according to the calendar etc...
") - Willem DoudijnsWillem Doudijns-Biography:According to the RKD he learned to draw from Alexander le Petit, and he spent 12 years in Italy. He returned home in 1661, where he collaborated with Jan de Bisschop on engravings. Both he and Bisschop were founding members of the Confrerie Pictura and Doudijns painted a large ceiling...
- "DiomedesDiomedesDiomedes or Diomed is a hero in Greek mythology, known for his participation in the Trojan War.He was born to Tydeus and Deipyle and later became King of Argos, succeeding his maternal grandfather, Adrastus. In Homer's Iliad Diomedes is regarded alongside Ajax as one of the best warriors of all...
" - Wybrand de GeestWybrand de GeestWybrand Simonsz. de Geest was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter from Friesland.-Biography:...
- "De Friesche Adelaar" (Frisian Eagle) - Pieter Groenewegen - "Leeuw" ("Lion")
- Reynier van Heuckelom - "Wolf"
- Samuel van Hoogstraten - "Batavier" ("BatavianBataviansThe Batavi were an ancient Germanic tribe, originally part of the Chatti, reported by Tacitus to have lived around the Rhine delta, in the area that is currently the Netherlands, "an uninhabited district on the extremity of the coast of Gaul, and also of a neighbouring island, surrounded by the...
") - Adriaen van der Kabel - "Geestigheid"
- Pieter van LaerPieter van LaerPieter van Laer was a Dutch Golden Age painter of genre scenes, active for over a decade in Rome, where his nickname was Il Bamboccio...
- "Il Bamboccio" ("Ugly puppet") - Jan LinsenJan LinsenJan Linsen was a Dutch painter of mythological and historical themes.Jan Linsen travelled in France and Italy on a Grand Tour, and in Rome he became a member of the painters' circle known as the Bentvueghels, with the nickname Hermafrodito. While on a ship bound homewards from Italy, he was...
- "Hermafrodiet" ("HermaphroditeHermaphroditeIn biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
") - Willem Molijn - another founder
- Reinier van PersijnReinier van PersijnReinier van Persijn was a Dutch Golden Age engraver of portraits and bookplates.-Biography:According to Houbraken, who called him Reynier van Parzyn, he was married to the granddaughter of the stained glass painter Wouter Crabeth I, whose son Wouter Crabeth II he probably knew from his time in...
- "Narcissis" ("NarcissusNarcissus (mythology)Narcissus or Narkissos , possibly derived from ναρκη meaning "sleep, numbness," in Greek mythology was a hunter from the territory of Thespiae in Boeotia who was renowned for his beauty. He was exceptionally proud, in that he disdained those who loved him...
") - Cornelis van Poelenburgh - "SatyrSatyrIn Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing....
", also a founder - Otto Marseus van SchrieckOtto Marseus van SchrieckOtto Marseus van Schrieck was a painter in the Dutch Golden Age.-Biography:Marseus van Schrieck spent the years 1648-1657 in Rome and Florence with the painters Matthias Withoos and Willem van Aelst, after which he settled in Amsterdam. He is best known for his paintings of forest flora and fauna...
- "Snuffelaer" ("Sniffer") - Herman van SwaneveltHerman van SwaneveltHerman van Swanevelt was a Dutch painter and etcher from the Baroque era.-Life:Herman was born in Woerden to a family of thriving artisans whose ancestors included the famous painter Lucas van Leyden. The identity of Swanevelt’s teacher remains a mystery...
- "Heremiet" ("HermitHermitA hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
") - Robert du Val - "La Fortune"
- Jan Baptist WeenixJan Baptist WeenixJan Baptist Weenix , a painter of the Dutch Golden Age. Despite his relatively brief career, he was a very productive and versatile painter. His favourite subjects were Italian landscapes with large figures among ruins, seaside views, and, later in life, large still life pictures of dead game or dogs...
- "Ratel" ("RattleRattle (percussion)A rattle is a percussion instrument. It consists of a hollow body filled with small uniform solid objects, like sand or nuts. Rhythmical shaking of this instrument produces repetitive, rather dry timbre noises. In some kinds of music, a rattle assumes the role of the metronome, as an alternative to...
", because of a speech defect) - Matthias WithoosMatthias WithoosMatthias Withoos , also known as Calzetta Bianca and Calzetti, was a Dutch painter of still lifes and city scenes, best-known for the details of insects, reptiles and undergrowth in the foreground of his pictures.-Biography:...
- "Calzetta bianca" ("White HoseHose (clothing)Hose are any of various styles of men's clothing for the legs and lower body, worn from the Middle Ages through the 17th century, when the term fell out of use in favor of breeches and stockings. The old plural form of "hose" was hosen...
") - Pieter van der HulstPieter van der HulstPieter van der Hulst , was a Dutch Golden Age painter.-Biography:According to Houbraken he travelled to Rome in 1674 where he received the nickname "Zonnebloem" for his preference for a "wilder sort of flower" than Jan Davidsz de Heem or Daniel Seghers...
- "Sunflower" - Augustinus TerwestenAugustinus TerwestenAugustinus Terwesten was a Dutch painter of portraits, architectural, and historical themes.-Early years in the Hague:...
- "Patrysvogel" - Willem van IngenWillem van IngenWillem van Ingen, or Guilhelmo Den Eersten , was a Dutch Golden Age painter active in Italy.-Biography:According to Houbraken, he learned to paint in Utrecht and attracted the attention of Johannes van Neercassel, who took him along on a trip to Rome...
- "Den Eersten" - David BeckDavid BeckDavid Beck , was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter.-Biography:Beck was born in Delft, and was named after his uncle, a well-known poet from Arnhem. He was the son of a schoolmaster in Delft, where he learned painting from Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt, a prominent portrait painter in the Netherlands...
- "Gulden scepter"
A few non-Dutch speaking members were admitted, including Joachim von Sandrart
Joachim von Sandrart
Joachim von Sandrart was a German Baroque art-historian and painter, active in Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age.-Biography:Sandrart was born in Frankfurt, but the family originated from Mons...
and Valentin de Boulogne
Valentin de Boulogne
Valentin de Boulogne , sometimes referred to as Le Valentin, was a French painter.-Origins:Valentin was born in Coulommiers, France, where he was baptised in the parish of Saint-Denys on January 3, 1591, making 1590 his likely year of birth...
.
See also
- The Guild of RomanistsGuild of RomanistsThe Guild of Romanists was a 16th and 17th century society in Antwerp for humanist and artists; it was a condition of membership that the member had visited Rome. Deans were appointed annually. It was "where 'art-pilgrims' met to keep themselves up to date on news from Rome, whether it be new...
was a Flemish club, containing many artists, for those who had visited Rome.
Sources
- Some of the information here is taken from the corresponding Dutch article about the Bentvueghels.
- Haskell, FrancisFrancis HaskellFrancis Haskell was an English art historian, whose writings placed emphasis on the social history of art.He read history at King's College, Cambridge and became a Fellow there in 1954...
, Patrons and Painters: Art and Society in Baroque Italy, Yale University Press, 1980. ISBN 0-300-02537-8 - Kilian, Jennifer M., "Jan Baptist [Giovanni Battista] Weenix," Grove Art Online. Oxford University Press, [29 October 2007].
- Levine, David A., "The Bentvueghels: 'Bande Académique"," in IL60: Essays Honoring Irving Lavin on his Sixtieth Birthday, ed. Marilyn Aronberg Lavin. New York: Italica Press, 1990 (pp. 207-219). ISBN 0-934977-18-6.
- Levine, David A., "Schildersbent [Bent]," Grove Art Online. Oxford University Press, [15 March 2007].
- Slive, Seymour. Dutch Painting 1600-1800. Yale University Press Pelican history of Art. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-300-06418-7.