Cornelis de Bie
Encyclopedia
Cornelis de Bie was a Brabant
rederijker
, poet
, jurist
and minor politician
from Lier
.
He is the author of about 64 works, mostly comedies. He is known internationally today for his biographical sketches of Flemish and Dutch painters in his Het Gulden Cabinet
der Edel Vry Schilderconst (the Golden Cabinet of the Honourable Free Art of Painting), first printed in 1662.
in Lier known as Den Groeyende Boom. After his study at the propedeuse faculty of Arts at the University of Leuven
, he returned to Lier
where he became a notary
and bookseller. He was married twice: the first time to Elisabeth Smits who died in 1662 and the second time to Isabella Caelheyt who died in 1706. He had eight children, four from each wife. He died after 1712 and before 1715.
.
When the publisher Jan Meyssen asked Cornelis de Bie to write a book on painters, he started out to write the most important Dutch book on painters of the seventeenth century. This book of artist biographies continues the traditions of Karel van Mander's Schilder-Boeck and Giorgio Vasari
's Vite. He used biographical material from Karel van Mander and Giorgio Vasari
, but the importance of this work is that it is the only known biography for many painters of the seventeenth century that were active after Vasari and van Mander's periods. Because it is written in verse form, it is rather difficult to read today, but it is longer than 500 pages and includes engravings of more than 50 painters from period paintings and drawings. He was an important source for Arnold Houbraken
, who refers to him as K. de Bie, short for Kornelis de Bie.
The work was first published in 1662 in Antwerp and De Bie has prepared a second edition of the work, but that was never published and the manuscript
is now in the Koninklijk Bibliotheek van België (Royal Library of Belgium) in Brussels
. The work included the biographies of painters, sculptors and architects, both already deceased and living. Most of the work is written in verse and therefore, it is rather a panegyric
. The full title of the work is Het Gulden Cabinet vande edele vry Schilder-Const, Ontsloten door den lanck ghewenschten Vrede tusschen de twee machtighe Croonen van Spaignien en Vrancryck, Waer-inne begrepen is den ontsterffelijcken loff vande vermaerste Constminnende Geesten ende Schilders Van deze Eeuw, hier inne meest naer het leven af-gebeldt, verciert met veel vermakelijcke Rijmen ende Spreucken. There are also indications that it was rapidly set and printed and therefore, it is possible that it was mainly meant as a commercial work.
. Later historians claimed this was improbable, because Wouwerman painted landscapes with horses and Hals was a portrait painter. Today this is still considered by some to be improbable, though Hals clearly had a large workshop and took on his sons as well as other pupils.
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
rederijker
Chamber of rhetoric
Chambers of rhetoric were dramatic societies in the Low Countries. Their members are called Rederijkers , from the french word 'rhétoricien', and during the 15th and 16th centuries were mainly interested in dramas and lyrics...
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and minor politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Lier
Lier, Belgium
Lier is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Lier proper and the village of Koningshooikt. On January 1, 2010 Lier had a total population of 33,930. The total area is 49.70 km² which gives a population density of 669 inhabitants per...
.
He is the author of about 64 works, mostly comedies. He is known internationally today for his biographical sketches of Flemish and Dutch painters in his Het Gulden Cabinet
Het Gulden Cabinet
The Golden Cabinet of the Noble Free Art of Painting, or Het Gulden Cabinet vande Edel Vry Schilder-Const, as it was originally known in Dutch, is a series of artist biographies and panegyrics with engraved portraits written by the 17th century notary and rederijker Cornelis de Bie...
der Edel Vry Schilderconst (the Golden Cabinet of the Honourable Free Art of Painting), first printed in 1662.
Biography
He was the son of the painter Adriaan de Bie and member of the Chamber of RhetoricChamber of rhetoric
Chambers of rhetoric were dramatic societies in the Low Countries. Their members are called Rederijkers , from the french word 'rhétoricien', and during the 15th and 16th centuries were mainly interested in dramas and lyrics...
in Lier known as Den Groeyende Boom. After his study at the propedeuse faculty of Arts at the University of Leuven
Old University of Leuven
The Old University of Leuven is the name historians give to the university, or studium generale, founded in Leuven, Brabant , in 1425, and closed in 1797, a week after the cession to the French Republic of the Austrian Netherlands and the principality of Liège by the Treaty of Campo Formio.When...
, he returned to Lier
Lier, Belgium
Lier is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Lier proper and the village of Koningshooikt. On January 1, 2010 Lier had a total population of 33,930. The total area is 49.70 km² which gives a population density of 669 inhabitants per...
where he became a notary
Civil law notary
Civil-law notaries, or Latin notaries, are lawyers of noncontentious private civil law who draft, take, and record legal instruments for private parties, provide legal advice and give attendance in person, and are vested as public officers with the authentication power of the State...
and bookseller. He was married twice: the first time to Elisabeth Smits who died in 1662 and the second time to Isabella Caelheyt who died in 1706. He had eight children, four from each wife. He died after 1712 and before 1715.
Het Gulden Cabinet der Edel Vry Schilderconst (1662)
Main article hereHet Gulden Cabinet
The Golden Cabinet of the Noble Free Art of Painting, or Het Gulden Cabinet vande Edel Vry Schilder-Const, as it was originally known in Dutch, is a series of artist biographies and panegyrics with engraved portraits written by the 17th century notary and rederijker Cornelis de Bie...
.
When the publisher Jan Meyssen asked Cornelis de Bie to write a book on painters, he started out to write the most important Dutch book on painters of the seventeenth century. This book of artist biographies continues the traditions of Karel van Mander's Schilder-Boeck and Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect, who is famous today for his biographies of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art-historical writing.-Biography:...
's Vite. He used biographical material from Karel van Mander and Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect, who is famous today for his biographies of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art-historical writing.-Biography:...
, but the importance of this work is that it is the only known biography for many painters of the seventeenth century that were active after Vasari and van Mander's periods. Because it is written in verse form, it is rather difficult to read today, but it is longer than 500 pages and includes engravings of more than 50 painters from period paintings and drawings. He was an important source for Arnold Houbraken
Arnold 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...
, who refers to him as K. de Bie, short for Kornelis de Bie.
The work was first published in 1662 in Antwerp and De Bie has prepared a second edition of the work, but that was never published and the manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
is now in the Koninklijk Bibliotheek van België (Royal Library of Belgium) in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. The work included the biographies of painters, sculptors and architects, both already deceased and living. Most of the work is written in verse and therefore, it is rather a panegyric
Panegyric
A panegyric is a formal public speech, or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing, a generally highly studied and discriminating eulogy, not expected to be critical. It is derived from the Greek πανηγυρικός meaning "a speech fit for a general assembly"...
. The full title of the work is Het Gulden Cabinet vande edele vry Schilder-Const, Ontsloten door den lanck ghewenschten Vrede tusschen de twee machtighe Croonen van Spaignien en Vrancryck, Waer-inne begrepen is den ontsterffelijcken loff vande vermaerste Constminnende Geesten ende Schilders Van deze Eeuw, hier inne meest naer het leven af-gebeldt, verciert met veel vermakelijcke Rijmen ende Spreucken. There are also indications that it was rapidly set and printed and therefore, it is possible that it was mainly meant as a commercial work.
Poetry versus historical accuracy
Like Vasari and Van Mander before him, De Bie's biographies are interspersed with amusing anecdotes. Although such literary motifs belong to a long rhetorical tradition, many of these stories were labelled "historically unreliable" by leading historians in the 19th century and only recently have some of them been reinstated. However, since they were also often the only surviving source of information about certain painters, these stories have always been repeated as hard facts about the lives of other painters appearing in the stories. Examples are when Cornelis de Bie describes apprenticeships that were considered improbable because the artist painted in a completely different genre than the teacher. An example is De Bie's statement that Philips Wouwerman trained with Frans HalsFrans Hals
Frans Hals was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He is notable for his loose painterly brushwork, and helped introduce this lively style of painting into Dutch art. Hals was also instrumental in the evolution of 17th century group portraiture.-Biography:Hals was born in 1580 or 1581, in Antwerp...
. Later historians claimed this was improbable, because Wouwerman painted landscapes with horses and Hals was a portrait painter. Today this is still considered by some to be improbable, though Hals clearly had a large workshop and took on his sons as well as other pupils.
Prose
- Het Gulden Cabinet der Edel Vry SchilderconstHet Gulden CabinetThe Golden Cabinet of the Noble Free Art of Painting, or Het Gulden Cabinet vande Edel Vry Schilder-Const, as it was originally known in Dutch, is a series of artist biographies and panegyrics with engraved portraits written by the 17th century notary and rederijker Cornelis de Bie...
http://books.google.com/books?id=3pFbAAAAQAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Cornelis+De+Bie%22&hl=nl&source=gbs_navlinks_s (1662) (reprint: 1971) - D'omghekeerde maet der liefde. http://books.google.com/books?id=BAcUAAAAQAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Cornelis+De+Bie%22&hl=nl&source=gbs_navlinks_s (1663)
- Faems Weer-galm der Neder-duytsche poësie http://books.google.com/books?id=DR9bAAAAQAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Cornelis+De+Bie%22&hl=nl&source=gbs_navlinks_s (1670)
- Den weerschijn van 't leven in de doodt. (1680?)
- Het sout der sielen welvaart. http://books.google.com/books?id=6X4-AAAAcAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Cornelis+De+Bie%22&hl=nl&source=gbs_navlinks_s (1688) (trans. from Latin)
- Den zedigen toetsteen van de onverdragelijcke weelde, verthoont in 't leven van den verloren soon. (1689)
- Den wegh der deughden beset met scherpe dornen van quellinghen. (1697)
- Antiquiteyten der stadt Lier, in Brabant, byeen vergadert uyt verscheyde annotatie boeken ende curieuse stukken, beginnende int jaer 762 tot 1699 (manuscriptManuscriptA manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
) - Het leven van de heylige Eugenia. (1701)
- Echos weder-clanck, passende op den gheestelijcken wecker, tot godtvruchtige oeffeninghen. (1706)
- Den spiegel van de verdrayde werelt, te sien in den bedriegelijcken handel, sotte en ongeregelde manieren van het al te broos menschen-leven. http://books.google.com/books?id=pWcTAAAAQAAJ&dq=de+spiegel+vande+verdrayde&hl=nl&source=gbs_navlinks_s (1708)
- Mengelrijmen, Meygaven, Lier-en Sneldichten (manuscriptManuscriptA manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
)
Plays
- Alphonsus en Thebasile ofte herstelde onnooselheyt, tragi-comedie op den sin: Oprechte Liefde (1673)
- De cluchte van den verdraeyden advocaet (en de twee borssesnyders) verthoont binnen Lyer den 16 en 17 juny 1659. (1673)
- Den heyligen ridder Gommarus, patroon der stadt Lier, oft gewillighe verduldigheyt; op het tooneel ghebrocht door de liefhebbers van d'edele gulde, die men noemt Den groeyenden Boom, binnen de voorschreven stadt Lier, den 23 en 25 juny 1669.
- Cluchte van een misluckt overspel, op den sin: Daer d'ongheregheltheyt van een onkuys ghedacht, (1669)
- Den grooten hertoghe van Moskovien oft gheweldighe heerschappye, Bly-eyndich treurspel. (1673)
- Treurspel van de heylighe Cecilia, martelaresse, ghenoemt den Spieghel van d' Eerbaerheydt
- Cluchte van Jan Goethals en Griet, zijn wijf, bedroghen door twee geapposteerde soldaten, verbetert en vermeerdert door C. De Bie.
- De cluchte van den jaloursen dief, afbeldende d'onghetrouwicheyt, bemonden achterclap en onversaefde lichtveerdicheyt der menschen, in Reynaldo Plattebors en madam Sacatrap.
- Den verloren zoon Osias oft bekeerden Zondaer
- Het goddelijck ransoen der zielen salicheyt, in dry deelen.
- Clucht-wijse comedie van de Mahometaensche slavinne Sultana Bacherach.
- De verlichte waerheyt van Godts vleesch-gheworden woordt in de gheboorte Christi.
- T geloofs beproevinghe verthoont in de stantvastighe verduldigheyt van de seer edele Roomsche princesse de heylighe Eugenia, blyeyndigh treurspel.
- Beschermde suyverheyt in de twee heylige Theodora en Didymus, martelaren om 't Rooms geloof onthooft, treurspel.
- Kluchte van Hans Holleblock, geusen predicant.
- Vermaekelijcke klucht van Roeland den Klapper oft Hablador Roelando
- Wraak van verkrachte kuysheydt, bewesen in 't ramp-salig leven van de princerse Theocrina omteert van den ontuchtigen en bloetgierigen Amurath
- De klucht van den nieuw-gesinden doctoor, meester Quinten-Quack en Cortisaen sijnen bly-geestigen knecht
- Kluchtwijse Commedie van de ontmaskerde liefde
- Leer-gierich ondersoeck der verlichte duysterheyt en weet-lievende kennisse der waerheyt, bewesen in 't Rooms christen gheloof door den heylighen Epictetus en den seer edelen en overschoonen Astion
- Het vlaemsche masker van Colonel Spindeler, archlistelijck ontdeckt aen de lichtveerdige françoisen door Oniati, borgemeester van Brugge, anno 1658
- Lijden sonder wraak, of de Armoede van grave Florelus, bontgenoot van Vranckrijck, blyeyndich treurspel;
- De klucht van den Subtijlen Smidt, of het vinden van 't maet-ghesangh oft musica;
- De klucht van Gijs Snuffelaer en 't lichtveerdigh Pleuntjen, genoemt d'occasie maekt den dief;""
- De comedie der Liersche Furie, of de kettersche verradery op den 14 october 1595;
- De klucht van den bedroghen soldaet;
- De klucht van den stouten Boer oft gheveynsten Auditeur;
- De comedie van Mas Aniello in de beroerte van Napels, ghenoemt: Op en Nedergangh van 's menschen leven.
- Blyeyndigh treurspel van de gravinne Nympha en Carel, hertogh van Calabrien, of wraak-lustighe liefde;
- De klucht van de ramp-salighe liefde in den ongetrouwen minnaer;
- Het droef-eyndigh toch geluck-saligh Treurspel van de twee heylighe martelaren Crispinus en Crispianus, of Standtvastighe Lijdtsaemheydt;
- De klucht van den bedroghen duyvel der onkuysheyt en Deep (sic) makenden geusen Predicant in 't spelen met de kaert;
- De comedie van Apollonius en Hildebertus, twee verliefde minnaren van edel geslacht, of de verloren gelegentheyt;
- De klucht van de bedroghen gierigheyt in Judas en de bedwonghen vrientschap van Pilatus.
- Klucht van het bedriegelyck mal. http://books.google.com/books?id=BAcUAAAAQAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Cornelis+De+Bie%22&hl=nl&source=gbs_navlinks_s (1710)