Rembrandt

Illustration number 1001495742
Dimensions: 508x650 pixels
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Illustration number 1001230943
Dimensions: 518x650 pixels
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Illustration number IB00038222
Dimensions: 1850x2290 pixels
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Illustration number 0000065703
Dimensions: 650x568 pixels
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Illustration number 0000089070
Dimensions: 650x568 pixels
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Object information

Object category

painting

Physical connection Reference in ‘composite artworks’: artworks that are/were connected, such as alterpieces, decorative pieces incorporated in panelling, and works of art that were intended to be displayed together, such as pendants and series.

pendant (companion piece)

Rembrandt, Portret van Jacques de Gheyn III (1596-1641) (pendant (companion piece))

The paintings are not pendants in the usual way, but in art historical literature they have been regarded as companion pieces nevertheless. Originally they may not have been intended to hang together, and they did not until in 1641 Jacques de Gheyn III bequeathed his portrait to Maurits Huygens in his will. Only then the paintings became pendants, for Huygens wrote on the reverse of the portrait of De Gheyn that reads (in translation): "Jacques de Gheyn the Younger / [bequeathed] his own / portrait / [to Huygens] as a last duty when he died. / He may rest / ... now this [portrait] has its companion-piece [meaning the Portrait of Maurits Huygens], alas." (Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015, vol. 2 (1986), no. A 57; and vol. 6 (2015), no. 67 and 68). The works got separated sometime during the eighteenth century. Valentiner was the first to realize that the paintings should be paired, although he thought the portrait of De Gheyn III to depict Constantijn Huygens, Maurits’ brother (Valentiner 1907, p. 162). The identification was later changed based on documentary evidence such as the inscriptions on the paintings and De Gheyn’s will.

Support/medium

panel (oak), oil paint

Shape/dimensions

rectangle (portrait format) 31.1 x 24.5 cm
A strip has been added to the bottom, ranging in width from 1.2 to 1.6 cm. The absence of the letter 'n' of the signature at the bottom right suggests that the panel has been slightly recuded on the right (Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015, vol. 2 (1986), no. A 57).

Signature/inscription Information about the signature, dating, inscription or any other mark on the front or back of the art work

signed and dated lower right: RH (in monogram) van Rij / 1632
The final letter of 'Rijn' is missing, probably because a small strip from the right side of the panel has been removed (Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015, vol. 2 (1986), no. A 57).
inscription on the back: M. Huygens Secretaris vanden Raad van State inden Hage

Current attribution: Rembrandt

Date Exact or approximate dating of the described art work; the search parameters adopted for this art work in this database, are found in brackets.: dated 1632 (1632)

Subject

Title Title of the art-work in Dutch: Portret van Maurits Huygens (1595-1642)
English title: Portrait of Maurits Huygens
Genre: portrait
Keywords: portrait, man's portrait, bust-length portrait, head to the right, body facing right, facing front, curly hair, flat lace collar
: identification in Valentiner 1907

Represented

IB number Number related to the portrait iconography collection RKD.: 38222

Maurits Huygens 1595 - 1642

Name

Huygens, Maurits

Initials

Sex

Date/place of birth

Den Haag (stad) 1595

Date/place of death

Den Haag (stad) 1642

Occupation

Secretaris van de Raad van State.

Marriage(s)

1633-05
Petronella Campe

Artistically related

Artistically related to other work Such as a preparatory studie, comparable composition, other version, or copy of the artwork in this record.

copied in print by
Wilhelm Hecht
in: Wilhelm Bode, Bilderlese aus kleineren Gemäldesammlungen in Deutschland und Oesterreich: Die Gemäldesammlung des Herrn Johannes Wesselhoeft in Hamburg, 1885 and 1886, p. 20.

Provenance

Collection(s)

private collection Maurits Huygens, The Hague
1632 - 1642 End date is year of death. Nothing is known about the whereabouts of this work and the Portrait of Jacques de Gheyn III between 1642 and 1764.
private collection Allard Rudolph van Waay, Utrecht
- 1764-02-27 Date of auction
private collection Aubert, Paris
- 1786-03-02 Date of auction
Noel Joseph Desenfans, London
- 1786-06-08 Date of auction
private collection Pieter Cornelis baron van Leyden
- 1804-11-05 Date of auction
art dealer Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Le Brun, Paris
1804-11-05 - Date of auction
private collection Dirk Vis Blokhuyzen, Rotterdam
- 1870-04-01 Date of auction
private collection Joh. Wesselhoeft, Hamburg
1870-04-01 - 1889
Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg , inv./cat.nr inv. no. 87
1889 -

Auction(s)

Charles Pillet, Parijs, 1870-04-01 - 1870-04-02, lotnr. 60
Contributor: D. Vis Blokhuysen
Name buyer : Joh. Wesselhoeft, 8200

according to an annotation in a copy of the sale catalogue [RKD, The Hague], Lugt no. 31897: “Rembrandt van Ryn. Portrait de Maurits Huygens. Maurits Huygens était secrétaire privé des états généreaux hollandais, il est représenté en buste, la tête nue, presque de face, les cheveux courts et frisés, la moustache relevée, la physionomic est spirituelle et légèrement railleuse. I lest vêtu d’un pourpint noir recouvert d’un manteau à revers de velours et collerette de guipure. Les oeuvres de Rembrandt de cette dimension sont extrêmement rares, ce précieux petit portraite st rendu avec cette finesse d’exécution et cette fermeté de modelé si remarquables chez le maitre à l’époque où il peignait sa célèbre leçon d’anatomie: 1632. Signé: Rt van Ryn, 1632. Bois: Haut., 31 cent.; larg., 25 cent.”
Stouw, Joan (Utrecht (city)) 1764-02-27, lotnr. 123
Contributor Allard Rudolph van Waay

, Lugt no. 1351, together with Portrait of Jacques de Gheyn III: “Twee origineele Pourtraiten uit de Familie van Huigens, door Rembrant P. hoog 13,5 en breed 9,5 duim.”
Hugues (Paris) 1786-03-02 - 1786-04, lotnr. 17
Contributor Mr. Ange-Joseph Aubert
Name buyer : Prince of Monaco , 402 Livres

according to an annotation in a copy of the sale catalogue [RKD, The Hague] , Lugt no. 3993, together with Portrait of Jacques de Gheyn III: “Par le même [Rimbrandt van Rhyn]. Deux petits Tableaux, Portraits d’Artistes. Ils sont chacun ajustés d’une fraise autour du cou, & vêtus d’habillemens noirs. Ces deux morceaux portent le caractere de la plus grande vérité, & sont d’une belle couleur: leur maniere moins libre que celle de différens ouvrages connus de Rimbrandt, nous fait juger qu’ils ont été peints dans sa jeunesse, & pendant qu’il suivoit l’Ecole de Gerardow. Hauteur 9 Pouces, largeur 7 [= 24.3 x 18.9 cm]. B[ois].” Prince of Monaco, see GPID 22/6/2020
Private Contract (London (England)) 1786-06-08 - 1786-07, lotnr. 264
Contributor Mr. Desenfans

, Lugt no. 4059a: “Rembrandt. A head. 1 ft. by 11 in. [ = 30.7 x 28.8 cm], on pannel.” Assuming that Desenfans owned both the Portrait of Maurits Huygens and the Portrait of Jacques de Gheyn III, it seems most likely that the one on sale here is the portrait of Huygens, as the portrait of De Gheyn was still part of Desenfans’ estate in 1807 (Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015, vol. 2 (1986), no. A 57)
Paillet, Alexandre Joseph (Paris) 1804-11-05 - 1804-11-07, lotnr. premier supplément 152
Contributor Pieter Cornelis Baron van Leyden (Amsterdam)
Name buyer : Le Brun , 300 FRF

according to an annotation in a copy of the sale catalogue [RKD, The Hague] , This auction was postponed twice. Lugt no. of the eventual sale: 6864 (for the catalogs of the other planned dates see Lugt no. 6841 and 6852): “Portrait d'un Personnage vu presque de face, et aussi à mi-corps, dans un Habillement noir, ajusté d'une Fraise indiquant le costume d'un Magistrat. Morceau plein de vérité et de la plus riche couleur." Although the ruff described ["une fraise”] would be more fitting to the portrait of De Gheyn, it is more likely the painting brought into this auction is the Portrait of Maurits Huygens, as the portrait of De Gheyn was at the estate of Desenfans until at least 1807 (Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015, vol. 2 (1986), no. A 57)

Exhibitions and literature

Exhibitions

Catalogus der tentoonstelling van voorwerpen uit vroegeren tijd Arti et Amicitiae , Amsterdam (city) , 1858-04 - 1858-05 , cat. no. 1780
Rembrandt und seine Zeit : zweihundert Gemälde der Blütezeit der holländischen Barockmalerei des 17. Jahrhunderts aus deutschem, holländischem und schweizerischem Museums- und Privatbesitz Museum zu Allerheiligen , Schaffhausen (place) , 1949-04-10 - 1949-10-02 , cat. no. 119
Drie eeuwen portret in Nederland 1500-1800 Rijksmuseum Amsterdam , Amsterdam (city) , 1952-06-26 - 1952-10-14 , cat. no. 137
Rembrandt : tentoonstelling ter herdenking van de geboorte van Rembrandt op 15 juli 1606 Rijksmuseum Amsterdam , Amsterdam (city) , 1956-05-18 - 1956-08-05 , cat. no. 18
Rembrandt : tentoonstelling ter herdenking van de geboorte van Rembrandt op 15 juli 1606 Museum Boymans , Rotterdam (city) , 1956-08-08 - 1956-10-21 , cat. no. 18
The orange and the rose : Holland and Britain in the age of observation, 1600-1750 Victoria and Albert Museum , London (England) , 1964-10-22 - 1964-12-13 , cat. no. 60
Rembrandt : Der Meister und seine Werkstatt Altes Museum [SMBPK] , Berlin , 1991-09-12 - 1991-11-10 , cat. no. 11
Rembrandt : de meester & zijn werkplaats Rijksmuseum Amsterdam , Amsterdam (city) , 1991-12-04 - 1992-03-01 , cat. no. 11
Rembrandt : The Master and his Workshop National Gallery [London] , London (England) , 1992-03-26 - 1992-05-14 , cat. no. 11
Rembrandt oder nicht Hamburger Kunsthalle , Hamburg (city) , 2000-10-15 - 2001-01-21 , cat. no. 2; p. 28-30
Rembrandt & Co : dealing in masterpieces Dulwich Picture Gallery , London (England) , 2006-06-07 - 2006-09-03 , p. 135, ill. 76
Uylenburgh & Zoon : kunst en commercie van Rembrandt tot De Lairesse 1625-1675 Museum Het Rembrandthuis , Amsterdam (city) , 2006-09-16 - 2006-12-10 , p. 135, ill. 76
Young Rembrandt Ashmolean Museum , Oxford (England) , 2020-02-27 - 2020-06-07 , cat. no. 109

Literature

Amsterdam 1858A , no. 1780
Vosmaer 1877 , p. 116, 493
Bode 1883 , p. 400
Bode 1885 , p. 20
Dutuit 1885 , no. 217, p. 42, 66
Bode 1886 , p. 20
Leithäuser 1889 , p. 67-68
Michel 1893 , p. 114-115, 553
Moes 1897-1905 , vol. 1 (1897), no. 3879
Valentiner 1907 , p. 162 , identification as Maurits Huygens
Hofstede de Groot 1907-1928 (German edition) , vol. 6 (1915) no. 654
Bredius 1915 , p. 126-128
Pauli/Heise 1918 , no. 87
Bredius 1935 , no. 161
Van Gelder 1943 , p. 33-34
Schaffhausen 1949 , no. 119
Van Gelder 1953A , p. 107
Van Schendel 1956 , no. 18
Van Gelder 1957 , p. 8, ill. 5
Bachrach 1964 , no. 60
Bauch 1966 , no. 352
Gerson 1968 , no. 104
Bredius/Gerson 1969 , no. 161
Hentzen/Gerkens 1969 , no. 87, ill. 75
Schwartz 1984 , no. 87, p. 95-96
Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015 , vol. 2 (1986), no. A 57
Tümpel 1986 , no. 193
Slatkes 1992 , no. 111
Van Straten/Moerman 2005 , p. 225-228, ill. 405
Lammertse/Van der Veen 2006 , p. 135, ill. 76
Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015 , vol. 6 (2015), no. 67
Bergvelt/Jonker 2016 , p. 162, fig. 1, under DPG99 (Rembrandt; RKD images no. 32024)
Brown et al. 2019 , no. 109

J. Bauch and D. Eckstein, 'Woodbiological investigations on panels of Rembrandt paintings', Wood science and technology 15 (1981), p. 251-263, esp. p. 260.
M. Jonker and E. Bergvelt, Catalogue of Dulwich Picture Gallery. Dutch, Flemish and German Schools, with addenda to the British School, will be published online as a RKD Studies in 2020 [an enlarged version of Jonker & Bergvelt 2016], under DPG99 (Rembrandt; RKD images no. 32024), Related works, no. 1

Visual documentation

Visual documentation

Location image Location of the image in the visual documentation.

BD/Digital Collection (img.nr. 1001495742)
BD/Digital Collection (img.nr. 1001230943)
BD/RKD/1818 - IB/XVIIB on Huygens (img.nr. IB00038222)
, Original location BD/RKD/0612 - ONS/Portraits: Rembrandt and School (img.nr. 0000065703)
, Original location BD/RKD/0700 - ONS/Dated Works (img.nr. 0000089070)

Project: The Rembrandt Database
RemBench

Technical documentation

The RKD manages a collection of technical documentation that has been given to us by external researchers and museums or which stems from the RKD's own research with infrared reflectography. Documentation can be accessed by appointment at the RKD. While not all technical documentation has been entered in the database at present, new data is added on a regular basis.

3 hits in RKD technical, relating to:

Technical examination type

Research and restoration projects

research project Burroughs X-ray documentation project, 1925 — 1944 1 hitsinvolved_persons: Alan Burroughs
The Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies at the Harvard Art Museums houses the Alan Burroughs Collection of X-Radiographs, the ﬁrst systematic, large-scale X-ray documentation project assembled to address issues of the authenticity and attribution of paintings. Many of the X-rays were produced between 1925 and 1944 by Burroughs—a Harvard graduate (1920) who became a Fogg Museum research fellow and the keeper of X-ray "shadowgraphs". Today the collection contains approximately 8,000 X-radiographs of over 4,450 paintings from the great collections of America and Europe.
The X-rays can also be found in the online database of the Harvard Art Museums: https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections?q=Rembrandt+burroughs
exhibition Rembrandt : tentoonstelling ter herdenking van de geboorte van Rembrandt op 15 juli 1606, 1956 1 hits
During the exhibition X-rays were made of a lot of the exhibited paintings at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

External links: Online Collection Catalogue Hamburger Kunsthalle

Permalink: https://rkd.nl/explore/images/32021

Creation date: 2000-06-26; Last modified date: 2022-09-19

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