pieter cornelisz. kunst as a panel painter

Pieter Cornelisz. Kunst as a Panel PainterAuthor(s): Walter S. GibsonSource: Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art, Vol. 1, No. 1 (1966 - 1967),pp. 37-45Published by: Stichting voor Nederlandse Kunsthistorische PublicatiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3780379 .

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PIETER CORNELISZ. KUNST AS A PANEL PAINTER

WALTER S. GIBSON

Pieter Cornelisz. Kunst, the eldest son of Cornelis Engebrechtsz., seems to have been active chiefly as a glas-schrijver or painter on glass. He is so described by Van Manderl, whose statement is substantiated by a recorded payment to Pieter in I523 for a glass painting2, and several extant glass panels executed after his designs3. Moreover, a considerable number of drawings have come down to us from his hand, many bearing his monogram and dates ranging from I5I7 to I5374; most of these seem to have been intended as designs for glass paintings. Apparently Engebrechtsz.' workshop was large enough to permit some degree of specialization; this is also suggested by the early concentration on engraving by another of his pupils, Lucas van Leyden.

Van Mander does not tell us whether Pieter restricted himself to this technique alone, or whether he also practiced panel painting, as did his two younger brothers and Lucas van Leyden. Despite our lack of information on this point5, a number of paintings have been attributed to Pieter during the last forty years. Friedlander has suggested, for instance, that certain parts of the Amsterdam 'Sermon in the Church', generally attributed to Lucas van Leyden, and three small panels in Hampton Court Palace are from his hand6. Hoogewerff gives Pieter a fairly large group of paintings, including four tondi in Basel depicting scenes from the story of 'the Prodigal Son'7. Most recently, Beets has connected several small painted tondi with his name8.

i. Karel van Mander, Het Schilderboeck, i st ed., Haarlem I 604, fol. 21OV. 2. C. Ed. Taurel, De christelijke kunst in Holland en Vlaanders, Amsterdam, The Hague,

Brussels i88i, I, i9I. 3. Two painted glass panels showing subjects from the Acts of Charity, 'Freeing the Prisoners'

and 'Clothing the Naked', are in the Louvre. The former was painted after a drawing by Pieter in the British Museum, London, and to judge from an indifferent reproduction, may be likewise from his own hand; the other glass panel is also after a drawing by Pieter, now lost, but probably not painted by him. For illustrations, see G. J. Hoogeweiff, De Noord Nederlandsche Schilderkunst, III, The Hague 1939, 325, fig. 170; and N. Beets, Oud Holland, LII, 1935, i6i. The attribution of other painted glass panels to Pieter by Beets and Hoogewerff is of dubious validity.

4. For a discussion of his drawings, see Hoogewerff, o.c., 32I-329, 340-344. The latest dated drawing known to this writer is a sheet depicting Lazarus and Dives, in the Musee Bonnat, Bayonne. Neither the 'Temptation of Christ' of 1535 (Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, Cat. 4460), nor the stylistically related sheets of i542 in London (British Museum, Cat. 4, as Pieter Cornelisz.) and Stockholm (National Museum) can be considered by Pieter Cornelisz. himself, although undoubtedly from the Leyden School. Moreover, several sheets of drawings showing coats of arms, with a monogram and the date 1542, are wrongly attributed to Pieter Cornelisz. Neither the drawing style nor the form of the monogram are his (W. A. Beelaerts van Blokland, 'Een heraldisch raadsel van ouden datum opgelost, of: De Leidsche meester Pieter Cornelisz. als wapenteekenaar', Maandblad van het Genealogisch-Heraldisch Genootschap, XLVIII, I930, cols. 3-5).

5. A record of 1527, however, mentions a payment to Pieter for executing twelve small paintings of the Leyden coat of arms for use in the Sacraments Day procession (Thes. Reks., 1527; R. Elsevier, 'Ouders van den Schilder Lucas van Leyden', De Navorscher, VIII, i858, 245, n. 6).

6. M. J. Friedlander, Die Altniederlandische Malerei, X, Berlin I932, 94-95. For the attribution of the Amsterdam and Hampton Court panels to Aertgen van Leyden see J. Q. van Regteren- Altena, 'Aertgen van Leyden', Oud-Holland, LVI, I939, 82-8 5; and J. Bruyn, 'Twee St. Antho- nius-panelen en andere werken van Aertgen van Leyden', Het Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek, ii, i96o, 37-II9.

7. Hoogewerff, o.c. 329-340. 8. N. Beets, 'Nog eens Jan Wellens de Cock en de zonen van Cornelis Engebrechtsz.', Oud-

Holland, LXVII, I952, 28, fig. i6; and ibidem, 'Cornelis Engebrechtsz. en nog drie rondjes uit zijn school', Oud-Holland, LXVIII, 1953, III, fig. i. His attribution to Pieter is tentative. To these two tondi may be added a larger rectangular panel depicting the Carrying of the Cross, formerly

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None of these attributions to Pieter Cornelisz. are quite convincing. Not only do the paintings differ greatly among themselves in style, but they cannot be closely related to his drawings, on which any painting attribution must ultimately be based. The four tondi in Basel, for example, have nothing to do with his drawings, despite certain superficial similarities in composition and costume; indeed, they are probably of Antwerp origin, as are most of the paintings which Hoogewerff has attributed to him. The candidates proposed by Friedlander and Beets for Pieter's hand approach his drawing style rather more closely, especially in their fluid execution, but differ in the facial types and in the handling of drapery; it is dubious whether they are by Pieter himself. Some idea of his activity as a panel painter, however, can be gained from an examination of two works generally given to his father, Cornelis Engebrechtsz.; closely related to these, moreover, is an illuminated manuscript in the Munich Staats- bibliothek.

The first of the paintings is the triptych in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, in Vienna, depicting Naaman bathing in the river Jordan on the inner panels, with Saints Cosmas and Damian on the outer wings (fig. i). This altarpiece is usually given to Engebrechtsz., although Friedlander and Hoogewerff have rightly asked whether the work is completely from his own hand9. The central panel and the background figures of the inner wings clearly reflect the style of his Crucifixion triptych at Leyden, while the landscape is very similar to his 'Christ Taking Leave of His Mother', in Amsterdam; despite a certain coarseness in execution, these parts are probably by Engebrechtsz. himself. Quite different in style, however, are the large foreground figures who point with disbelief at the miracle from the inner wings (fig. 2), as well as the two physician saints on the reverse. The thin, often transparent brushwork, the raw flesh-tones with chalk-white highlights, the facial types and awkward draughtsmanship present a striking departure from the central panel and Engebrechtsz.' usual style. These parts, in fact, must have been executed by a workshop assistant.

It is unlikely that this assistant was Lucas van Leyden'O; despite Friedlinder's observation to the contrary, the wings of the Vienna altar reflect neither his direct participation nor his influence. Taking into consideration the differences in scale and medium, however, the outer wings can be related miuch more closely to the drawings of Pieter Cornelisz. The heads of the two saints, especially the curious construction of the eye - giving the face a rather haggard expression - finds many parallels among his designs, such as the series of I524 representing the Acts of Charity (fig. 3)11. Perhaps even more comparable in style is the glass panel showing the 'Freeing of the Prisoners' (Paris, Louvre) after the sheet in Amsterdam of the same subject'2. Very similar are the clumsily drawn feet with the heel often exaggerated and the handling of the folds in the drapery. The definition of the fold above the knee of the right hand figure by a simple arc repeats a motif common in Pieter's drawings 3.

on the London art market (photograph in the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Dokumentatie, The Hague).

9. Friedlander, o.c. 66-67; Hoogewerff, o.c. I52. io. Friedlander, l.c. i i. The six surviving sheets from this series are divided among the print rooms of Amsterdam,

Berlin (Cat. I I91, I 93) and London (Cat. i, under Pieter Cornelisz.), and the F. Lugt Collection in Paris. See Hoogewerff, o.c. 323-324, and figs. I68-I69.

12. Hoogewerff, o.c. 325, fig. 170. I3. Good examples can be found in the foreground figures of the 'Sheltering the Strangers'

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Fig. i Cornelis Engebrechtsz. and Pieter Cornelisz. Kunst, The Healing of Naaman, outer wings: Saints Cosmas and Damian Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum

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Fig. 2 Cornelis Engebrechtsz. and Pieter Cornelisz. Kunst, The Healing of Naaman, inner wings Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum

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These mannerisms are less prominent on the inner wings; the more careful execution may reflect an attempt to harmonize the style with the central panel. Still, the faces, especially those on the right, are related to his physiognomical types, and the under- drawing beneath the thinly painted head in profile on this side recalls his draughtsmanship, particularly in the handling of the jaw line. Moreover, the heavy tubular folds that fall across the lap of the seated figure on the opposite wing seem to be a translation into paint of his drawing style; similar folds can be found on the robe of

Fig. 3 Pieter Cornelisz. Kunst, Freeing of the Prisoners London, British Museum

the man leading the procession in the landscape behind him. The many, often striking, analogies between the drawings and the wings of the Vienna 'Naaman' suggest that in the latter we possess an example of Pieter Cornelisz.' work as a panel painter'4.

Another reflection of Pieter's drawing style in paint can be found in five full-page miniatures from a Dutch prayerbook in the Staatsbibliothek in Munichl'5. The miniatures differ greatly in style from the rest of the book and most probably were

(Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, Cat. II93) and 'Virgil in the Basket' (Amsterdam, Rijksprenten- kabinet).

14. Hoogewerff (o.c. 152) also suggested that Pieter Cornelisz. might have assisted in the Vienna 'Naaman', although he made no comparison with the drawings and dated the Vienna triptych too early (c. I510).

15. Cod. germ. 76; Dutch text, with a calendar of Utrecht diocese. The miniatures are on folios 14v, 43V, 87v, I04v, and i i6v. See E. Petzet, Die deutschen Pergament-Handschriften Nr. I-200 der Staatsbibliothek in Miinchen (Catalogus codicum manuscriptorum bibliothecae Monacencis, Tomi V, pars I), Munich 1920, I25-126; A. W. Byvanck and G. J. Hoogewerff, Noord-Nederlandsche Miniaturen, The Hague I922, Nr. i8i and P1. 140; text volume, 68.

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executed at a later date'6. They come surprisingly close to Pieter's designs in the draughtsmanship and the handling of drapery folds, as well as in the heads and other anatomical details. The face of the foreground figure in the 'Triumph of Death' miniature (fol. ii6v; fig. 4), for example, bears a family likeness to the saint on the outer right wing of the 'Naaman' and occasionally appears in the drawings, as well'7. The grotesquely inflated feet of the dead Christ in the 'Trinity' miniature (fol. 87v) (fig. 5) are almost identical to those of the same figure in a drawing dated I526, in the

4

* ..^ .i.

Fig. 4 Dutch Prayerbook, fol. i 6v, Fig. 5 Dutch Prayerbook, fol. 87v, The Triumph of Death The Trinity Munich, Staatsbibliothek, Cod. germ. 76 Munich, Staatsbibliofhek, Cod. germ. 76

Braunschweig Landesmuseuml8. Still other points of comparison might be cited, but these are enough to justify the attribution to Pieter of the original designs for these miniatures. Whether he was responsible for the actual painting, however, must remain

i6. They were probably painted, however, on the pages originally left blank to receive them, as the text continues onto the back of several of the miniature folios. Byvanck and Hoogewerff were unable to determine the origin of the miniatures, but suggested that they were not Dutch.

17. See, for example, the face of the child in the centre of the 'Feeding of the Hungry' of I524 and the 'Three saints' of I53I (Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, Cat. ii9i and 5564), as well as the 'Susanna and the Two Elders' of 1530 (Melbourne, National Gallerv of Victoria), reproduced in Leidsch Jaarboekje, I96I, opp. 64.

i8. 'Temptation of Christ'; see E. Flechsig, Zeichnungen alter Meister im Landesmuseum Braun- schweig, Niederlander des i6. Jahrhunderts, Nr. 43-65. Frankfort am Main I923, Nr. 49.

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an open question. The coarse execution and hard outlines of the miniatures could be due to his working in an unfamiliar medium; on the other hand, they could also reflect an exaggeration of this style by another artist painting over the original sketches. In any event, the Munich prayerbook reveals a hitherto unknown facet of Pieter's artistic activity.

The other painting which may be connected with Pieter Cornelisz. is the 'Lamen- tation with Saints and Donors' in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich (fig. 6). This panel has

_~~~~~~~~~~~Ni

iS 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~S

Fig. 6 Here attnibuted to Pieter Cornelisz. Kunst, Munich, Alte Pinakothek Lamentation with Saints and Donors

been attributed to Engebrechtsz. almost without exception'9. At first glance, the holy figures and the landscape seem to be quite typical of his style; the poses of the Virgin and St. John and the costumes of the Holy Women are particularly related to his

ig. E. Pelinck ('Cornelis Engebrechtsz., de herkomst van zijn kunst', Nederlands Kunst- historisch Jaarboek, 1948-I949, 73) suggests that Cornelis Cornelisz., another son, might have assisted in the execution, but only F. Dulberg, (Die Leydener Malerschule, Berlin I899, 69-70) rejects Engebrechtsz.' authorship altogether.

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'Crucifixion' altar in Leyden. On closer inspection, however, it is doubtful whether the panel is an autograph work. The donor portraits really have nothing in common with the portraits on the two Leyden triptychs and the so-called 'Lochorst' wings, and among the holy figures, the face of St. John deviates almost as much from his style. Even more significant, the execution is much coarser, the brushwork slacker, and the colors lack that richness of modulation for which Engebrechtsz. is so distinguished. The Munich panel, therefore, must be considered as a workshop piece, admittedly

JJ1

Fig. 7 Pieter Cornelisz. Kunst, Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett The Martyrdom of Saint Eustace

very close to Engebrechtsz.' manner, but nevertheless painted by another hand. It is not impossible that this other hand was Pieter's. Although his style is not so

easily discerned in the Munich panel as in the Vienna 'Naaman', a close examination of the male donor portraits reveals a certain affinity with his drawings: again we encounter the same handling of the eye, while the not quite convincing perspective of the face in three-quarters view is also typical. The rather lumpy profile of the second woman at the right, although presumably a portrait, curiously reflects a female type

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which Pieter occasionally employs20. The head of St. John in the central group may be compared with the figure at the extreme left of a drawing in Berlin depicting the 'Martyrdom of St. Eustace' and dated I522 (fig. 7) 21. Finally, the two figures conversing together on the hill behind recall many of Pieter's background figures in their rounded outlines22.

But if the hand of Pieter can be detected in the Munich 'Lamentation', the forms he executed are still very much those of Engebrechtsz., a circumstance perhaps best explained by assuming that he painted it after his father's preparatory drawings and possibly even under his direct supervision. Because Pieter's own stylistic qualities appear less developed, the 'Lamentation' probably should be datedbefore the 'Naaman', but not too much earlier, as the head types already reflect the style of his drawings from I5I7 onwards.

The Vienna altar wings and the Munich panel show Pieter Cornelisz. as a shop assistant working fairly closely with his father; nevertheless, the precise relationship of his activity to Engebrechtsz.' own development is difficult to determine. If the date which we have proposed for the origin of the 'Naaman' triptych is correct, then its central panel would show Engebrechtsz.' style of the first half of the I520's. This raises a chronological problem, however: the many stylistic affinities of this panel, as well as the Munich 'Lamentation', to the 'Crucifixion' triptych at Leyden, suggests that the currently accepted dating of the Leyden 'Crucifixion' to i5II-I5I2 maybe too early23; perhaps it should be moved up closer to I520 or even later, as Baldass suggested almost thirty-five years ago24. Indeed, the chronology of all of Engebrechtsz.' paintings, but especially those from his later period, should be reconsidered, a task best accomplished by studying them in the context of the workshop production as a whole.

20. Similar profiles appear in the 'Feeding of the Hungry', c. I524 (Frankfort, Stadelsches Kunstinstitut) and in a sheet showing the same subject dated 153I (Rotterdam, Museum Boymans- van Beuningen, Cat. 5), both illustrated in Hoogewerff, o.c., figs. I7I-172; as well as the 'Caring for the Sick', of 1532 (Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, Cat. II89).

2I. Cat. I2 358. 22. Among others, in the 'Virgil in the Basket' of I523 (Amsterdam, Rijksprentenkabinet), the

'Christ and Zacharias' (Darmstadt, Hess. Landesmuseum, Cat. i9) and the 'Stoning of the Elders who Accused Susanna' (Rotterdam, Boymans-van Beuningen Museum, Cat. 4, as 'Martyrdom of Two Saints').

23. Pelinck, o.c., 58; Leyden, Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal, Beschrijvende Catalogus van de Schilderijen en Teheningen, 1949, 62.

24. L. Baldass, Katalog des Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien: Gemdldegalerie, Vienna I928, 73. He dates both the Leyden and Vienna triptychs to the I520'S.

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pieter cornelisz. kunst as a panel painter

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