The Great Theatre of Dutch Painters


The Great Theatre of Dutch Painters and Paintresses, or De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen, as it was originally known in Dutch, is a series of artist biographies with engraved portraits written by the 18th-century painter Arnold Houbraken. It was published in three volumes as a sequel to Karel van Mander's own list of biographies known as the Schilder-boeck. The first volume appeared in 1718, and was followed by the second volume in 1719, the year Houbraken died. The third and last volume was published posthumously by Houbraken's wife and children in 1721. This work is considered to be a very important source of information on 17th-century artists of the Netherlands. The Schouburg is listed as one of the thousand most important works in the from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Background and influences

The Schouburg was not the first sequel to Karel van Mander's work. Various authors had attempted to illustrate Van Mander's work and in 1649, Jan Meyssen published Image de divers hommes in imitation of Anthony van Dyck's Iconography. Cornelis de Bie published his Het Gulden Cabinet in 1662, André Félibien published his Entretiens sur les vies et sur les ouvrages des plus excellents peintres anciens et modernes in 1666, and these were followed by Jacob von Sandrart's illustrated Teutsche Akademie in 1668. Houbraken referenced Inleyding tot de Hooge Schoole der Schilderkonst, 1678, published by his teacher Samuel van Hoogstraten for students of art. Roger de Piles published L'Abrégé de la vie des peintres in the 1690s followed by Florent le Comte with his Cabinet des singularitez in 1699. As a gifted engraver, Houbraken aimed to address what he perceived as errors and omissions in earlier works, updating biographies with engraved portraits of artists. All of these works were used as sources for Houbraken and he mentions them in the first chapter of his first volume.
The Schouburg was published in three volumes, the first of which was simply meant as an addendum to Karel van Mander's work, and listed about 200 artists born between 1466 and 1613 that had been omitted or whose lives extended beyond Van Mander's 1604 publication date. The popularity of this volume was such that a second volume was prepared immediately, while plans were made to continue the project up to the period in which Houbraken was writing at the start of the 18th century.
While leaning heavily on the sources already mentioned, Houbraken is reported to have consulted local history books from various cities in the Netherlands. Other, unpublished sources for his material came from various contacts via his professional network, mostly members of the Guild of St. Luke in Holland. He listed many men who became members of the Bentvueghels group in Rome while on their Grand Tour, but he also listed most of the men in a competency list drawn up by Vincent van der Vinne before he died in 1702. Houbraken used a system in which names in uppercase denoted greater prominence, while lowercase indicated lesser recognition. The index of the first volume is believed to have been incomplete at the time of publication. A later edition of all three books in 1756 contains an improved index and this book is now available online in the Digital library for Dutch literature.

Characteristic features

Notable omissions

Several painters now considered highly significant are absent or briefly mentioned in Houbraken's work, reflecting differences in artistic priorities between his era and today; the most notorious omission is Jan Vermeer, who is mentioned once in passing. Other notorious omissions are Jan van de Cappelle, Judith Leyster, Jan Wynants, Jacobus Mancadan, and Hendrick Avercamp. While Vermeer, Ruysch, and Leyster are mentioned, they are only briefly touched upon. Only ten women received their own biographies in the work, while fourteen more are mentioned in the biographies of other artists.
However, Houbraken himself died before publishing the final volume, and he repeatedly mentions the impossibility of a complete list. In his first volume he includes painters that he complained were oversights by Karel van Mander, who he regarded as his greatest example. He highly respected all artist biographers who came before him, such as Sandrart, De Bie, and De Lairesse. In fact, Houbraken's work aimed to include overlooked painters and was extensive for its time. Therefore, his omissions are equally the omissions of previous biographers, though it is Houbraken who receives all the blame. The exact state of his book at the time of his death is unknown: his son Jacob, his daughter Antonina, and his wife all helped to patch things up for publication, and it is quite possible that their own opinions slipped into the finished work.

Biases

In general, Houbraken tends to follow the contemporary prejudices of the hierarchy of genres and undervalues landscapists, marine artists and painters of still life.
The Houbraken family appeared to manifest certain other prejudices or biases. These may be categorised, broadly, as:
  • Family dynasties: All painters who made up a family dynasty received extra space in the book. More space was given to the founder of the dynasty than to any other member. An example is that though Rachel Ruysch was the most famous painter of her family, Houbraken devotes more space to her grandfather Pieter Post and his brother Frans. Similarly, though Wouter Crabeth II was the most famous painter of the family, Houbraken devotes more space to his illustrious heritage in Gouda, the glass painters Dirk and Wouter.
  • Engravers: Houbraken had a business of his own in biographical engravings, and his large family probably all helped in the business, with his son and daughter helping with the oval portraits. Houbraken frequently used reprints to document art provenance, reflecting their significance during his time. He highly respected good engravings. Therefore Houbraken showed a preference for artists skilled in drafting and engraving, reflecting his own professional background, such as Rembrandt and the Visschers. He includes also notes about various publishers and engravers, who did not paint at all.
  • Rome: Houbraken had great respect for all artists who took the trouble and overcame many hardships to travel to Rome. He went to great pains to add entries for the entire list of painters mentioned in a poem about the Bentvueghels.
  • Flattery: As a Mennonite, despite his Mennonite background, Houbraken emphasized the practical importance of flattering patrons in his books, and a recurring theme is when an artist fell onto bad times because he failed to flatter his patron. This type of artist is admired by Houbraken as a sort of "martyr to the artist's cause". Examples of flatterers that Houbraken deprecates are Anthony van Dyck and Sir Peter Lely followers; some omissions in Houbraken's work, such as Adriaen Hanneman Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck and Thomas de Keyser, reflect his selective focus on particular artists and genres. Similarly, though architecture was considered one of the highest genres, the popular "family portrait with a view of the house or garden" was omitted as a genre entirely from Houbraken's praise, since this just showed off the wealth of the sitters. Thus landscape portraitists were often omitted or deprecated, such as Hendrik van Steenwijk II and his wife.
  • Religion: While Houbraken did include artists of all religions in his book, his coreligionist Mennonites are over-represented, while Catholics are under-represented. These include the De Grebbers, the De Brays, the Ruisdael family, Jan Vermeer, Adriaen Coorte, Adriaen Hanneman, Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck, Hendrick Dubbels, Pieter Anthonisz. van Groenewegen, and Meindert Hobbema..

Translated, the title of the book is Theatre of Painters and Paintresses, indicating that Houbraken wrote about women painters or schilderessen. However, the list of women he included in the book is really quite short. Though Houbraken included brief biographies of some women painters, only a select few were named in detail.
Of these, he included illustrations of only three women: Schurman, Merian, and Koerten-Blok. Houbraken also mentioned two women poets; Gesina Brit and Catharina Questiers.

Contents

Volume I

The engraved portraits included as illustrations in Volume I are below, followed by the artists listed in order of appearance in the text. The first illustration is of Houbraken himself.
  • Desiderius Erasmus
  • David Joris
  • Cornelis Antonisz
  • Jan de Hoey
  • Bernard van Orley
  • Michael Coxcie
  • Dirk Crabeth & Wouter Crabeth I
  • Dirk de Vrye
  • Joan Dac
  • Johannes Snellinks
  • Isaac Nicolai
  • Adam van Noort
  • Otto van Veen
  • Jan de Waal
  • Adrian Nieuwland
  • Abraham Bloemaart
  • Tobias Verhaeght
  • Michael Mierevelt
  • Paulus Moreelse
  • Jan van Kuik Woutersze
  • Sebastiaan Franks
  • Adam Elshaimer
  • Lucas Franchoys the Elder
  • Hendrik Gaud
  • Roelant Savry
  • Adam Willaarts
  • Aart Druivestein
  • Jacob Willemsz Delff
  • Petrus Paulus Rubens
  • Pieter Soutman
  • Samuel Hofman
  • Jan van Hoek
  • Marten Pepyn
  • Abraham Janszen
  • Horatius Gentilesco
  • Hendrik van Balen
  • Frans Snyders
  • Joan Breugel
  • Adrian van Stalbemt
  • Daniel Blok
  • Frans Hals
  • Deodatus del Mont
  • Pieter Lastman
  • David Teniers
  • Hendrik van der Borght
  • Wencelaus Koeberger
  • David Baili
  • Pieter de Valk
  • Willem van der Vliet
  • Guiliam Nieulandt
  • Christiaan Jansz van Biezelingen
  • Gasper de Krayer
  • Cornelis Poelenburg
  • Alexander Keerings
  • Joris van Schoten
  • Nestus Thoman
  • Pieter Feddes
  • Hendrik Terbruggen
  • Adrian van der Venne
  • Johan Torrentius
  • Daniel Seghers
  • Adriaan van Linschoten
  • Lucas de Waal
  • Wybrand de Geest
  • Gerard Honthorst
  • Peter Snayers
  • Adrian de Bie
  • Christoffel Schovarts
  • Cornelis de Wael
  • Jacques Jordaens
  • Hendrik Berckman
  • Lucas van Uden
  • Dirk van Hoogstraten
  • Jacques Francart
  • Pieter Mierevelt
  • Leonard Bramer
  • Jan van der Brugge
  • Jan van Goyen
  • Pieter Pietersz Deneyn
  • Roelant Rogman
  • Pieter Saenredam
  • Salomon de Bray
  • Adrian van Uitrecht
  • Hubertus Grimani
  • Anthony van Dyk
  • Jodocus de Momper
  • Johannes van Ravesteyn, Cornelis de Vos, Adam de Koster, Daniel Mytens, Artus Wolfart, Theodorus van Loon
  • Jan Lis
  • Joan de Heem
  • Johan Parcellus
  • Jan Pinas & Jacob Pinas
  • Pieter de Molijn
  • Warnard van den Valkert
  • Remigius van Rheni
  • Lowys de Vadder
  • Marten Rykaard
  • Andries van Artvelt
  • Jacob van Es
  • Willem Backereel & Gillis Bakkereel
  • Joannes Wildens
  • Pieter van de Plas
  • Jacobus de Geest
  • Pieter Neefs
  • Theodoor Babuer
  • Cristoffel van der Laan & Jacob van der Laan
  • Hendrik de Klerk
  • Anthoni Salart
  • Justus van Egmont
  • Philips de Champanje
  • Pieter Koek van Aelst
  • Evert van Aelst & Willem van Aelst
  • Jan van Bronkhorst
  • Nicolaes Knufter
  • Johannis Cossiers
  • Simon de Vos
  • Joan Bylert
  • Pieter van Asch
  • Kristiaen van Kouwenberch
  • Daniel van Heil
  • Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp
  • Aelbert Cuyp
  • Pieter Dankers de Ry
  • Peter Franchoys
  • Luigi Primo
  • Rembrandt van Rijn
  • Paudiss
  • Frans Wulfhagen
  • Juriaan Ovens
  • Monniks
  • Jan van den Velde
  • Esaias van den Velde
  • Joachim von Sandrart
  • Emanuel de Witt
  • Pieter van der Willigen
  • Abraham van Diepenbeek
  • Jan T. van Ieperen
  • Theodoor van Tulden
  • Paulus de Vos
  • Erasmus Quellinus II
  • Carel Erpard
  • Jan Lievens
  • Ferdinand Bol
  • Palamedes Palamedesz Stevers
  • Anna Maria van Schurman
  • Margarita Godewyk
  • Adriaen Brouwer
  • Joost van Craasbeek
  • Jacob Bakker
  • Bartram de Fouchier
  • Herman Zachtleven
  • Cornelis Zachtleven
  • Willem van Bemmel
  • Salomon Koning
  • Jan Baptist van Heil
  • Robert van Hoek
  • David Teniers
  • Adriaen van Ostade & Isaac van Ostade
  • Cornelis Bega
  • Leendert van der Koogen
  • Willem van den Velde
  • Johannes Mytens
  • Emelraad
  • Pieter Janszen
  • Thomas Willeborts Bossaert
  • Otto Marcelis
  • Pieter van Laar
  • Nicolas de Helt Stokade
  • Abraham Willaerts
  • Jacques van Artois