DUCHATEL, Francois (1616/1625-1679/1694). Charles V After his Abdication Embarking on a Ship Bound for Spain in the Port of Vlissingen, Zeeland. Oil on canvas. Bears monogram D.T. F. (for David Teniers the Younger) in the lower left center Stenciled on the stretcher B179 and inscribed 1867 - 179 23 1/4" x 38 1/2" canvas. One of the Earliest Old Master Paintings to come to America. PROVENANCE: Hyacinthe-Francois-Joseph, Comte Despinoy; M. le Lieutenant-General Comte Despinoy sale, M. Trinquand & M. Ch. Roehn, Versailles, January 14 - 19 & February 4 - 9, 1850, lot 291 (as by David Teniers the Elder and describing the location as Wisbourg, Zeeland) where purchased by; Thomas Jefferson Bryan; Bryan Gallery of Christian Art, New York, by 1853, who donated it to; The New York Historical Society, New York, 1867 (inventory number1867: 179); The Collection of Thomas J. Bryan, Property of the New York Historical Society sale, Parke Bernet, New York, December 2, 1971, lot 90, where purchased by; Private Collection, New Jersey, until 1989; Raymond W. Wagner Collection, New York and Provincetown, Massachusetts; Lawrence Steigrad Fine Arts. LITERATURE: Richard Grant White, Companion to the Bryan Gallery of Christian Art, Baker, Godwin & Co. Printers, 1853, p. 87, no. 145 (as by David Teniers the Younger and titled Charles V Leaving the Town of Dort). Catalogue Museum and Gallery of Art of the New York Historical Society, printed for the Society, New York, p. 40, no. 355, 1893 (as by David Teniers the Younger and titled Charles V Leaving the Town of Dort). Champlain & Perkins "David Teniers the Younger" in Encyclopedia of Painters and Paintings, Charles Scribner's & Sons, 1900, Volume IV, p. 258, (as by David Teniers the Younger and titled Charles V Leaving Dort). Catalogue of the Gallery of Art of the New York Historical Society, printed for the Society, New York, 1915, p. 79, no. B-179 (as by David Teniers the Younger and titled Charles V Leaving the Town of Dort). This scene represents the departure of Charles V (1500-1558), the most powerful ruler in Europe at the time fromVlissingen, Zeeland [1] following the abdication of his sovereignty over the Netherlands in favor of his son Philip II (1527 -1598). The abdication ceremony took place on October 25, 1555 in Brussels. In Ghent on August 26, 1556, Charles gave a farewell audience to the foreign ambassadors and then rode to the coast where a fleet had convened to return him to Spain and retirement. His sisters Eleanor, Queen-Dowager of Portugal and Spain and Mary, Queen-Dowager of Hungary, Philip II, as well as many of the Netherlandish nobility were in attendance. [2] The awaiting fleet consisted of fifty-six Spanish and Flemish vessels commanded by Don Luis de Carvajal. The vessel designated for the Emperor was a Biscayan ship of 565 tons named the Espirito Santo but more commonly referred to as the Bartendona after its commander. Charles's cabin was fitted with green hangings, a swing bed with green curtains and eight glass windows (presumably the area of the bow visible under the royal coat-of-arms in the right background). His needs were attended to by thirty-six members of his household including Jean Poupet, Seigneur of Lachaulx, one of the sommeliers des corps, Malineus his Flemish reader and Gianello Torriano of Cremona (c. 1515-1585), [3] a leading Italian clockmaker, as well as the creator of one of the finest astronomical clocks of the Renaissance. [4] For the first two weeks of September the winds proved unfavorable while the shores of Zeeland became clogged with merchant vessels hoping to set sail under the convoy of the imperial fleet. On the seventh of September word was sent to the Bishop of Arras [5] (viewable to the left of mid-center) to come to the coast. Finally at 3:00 a.m. on September 15, 1556 the fleet left Flanders. The general feeling of the deputies of the States and the members of the Council of State was that of deep regret and that their interests would have been better served had Charles remained to give council and guidance to Philip. Charles who had suffered crippling gout and other infirmities from a relatively early age was by mid-life all but immobile (mid-center, as depicted here in armour, but leaning on a cane). His departure was viewed as mere will and pleasure on the King's part. [6] This attitude is neatly summed up by the expressions portrayed on the faces of the spectators which in turn display emotions of hostility, resignation, mistrust, suspicion, resentment, hauteur, and worry. Charles's continued popularity, especially in the Southern Netherlands, may be explained as a reaction to the civil war that occurred shortly after his abdication and death that resulted in the seventeen provinces being divided into the Dutch republic and the Spanish Netherlands. His reign came to be regarded as a golden age. [7] The subject of our painting is uncommon and the separation of the scene into two time periods is evident by the sixteenth century dress of Charles V, the Bishop of Arras and their attendants, in contrast to the seventeenth century dress of the guildsmen who must have commissioned the work. They are members of the Arquebusiers Guild, identifiable by the gold insignia a number of them wear on their sleeves. We were able to confirm the artist of this work as Francois Duchatel due to the existence of another version in the Abbey of Averbode in Belgium. It is identical in subject and size and also unsigned, but without question by Duchatel as he is documented as having worked for the Abbey in 1655. [8] Very few works by the artist are signed and only several others fully documented. The painting in the abbey is currently labeled A Norbertin Abbot's Disembarkment in Antwerp before a Magistrate of the City [9] and had previously been titled The Reception of Saint Norbertus by the City of Antwerp. Given our findings neither of these seem to be plausible. Duchatel was known as a painter of historical and religious subjects, portraits, and genre. He left a military career at twenty-seven to become a painter, and was a student of David Teniers the Younger and Gaspar de Crayer. In 1649 he married Leanne Louys and had seven children. His sister was the miniaturist Marie Duchatel. His eldest daughter married the Dutch painter Eglon Henry van der Neer. He worked in Paris in 1668 with Adam Frans van der Meulen. Duchatel's works are often wrongly attributed to Gillis van Tilborgh, Charles E. Biset, Jacob van Oost, and Gonzales Coques. Jon Baptist Medina was Duchatel's student. [10] We are indebted to Katlijne Van der Stighelen for her research and assistance in the writing of this entry. [1] Vlissingen is a municipality and city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren in the province of Zeeland. It is strategically positioned between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, and has been an important harbour for centuries. The exact point of departure is believed to be what today is called West-Souburg a village within the Vlissingen municipality. Stirling-Maxwell (see footnote 2) refers to the site as historically called Zuitburg but notes that this is suppose to be the village then called Wester-Souburg. The labeling of the site in the 1850 auction of Count Despinoy as Wisbourg, Zeeland gives further credence to this as the location. [2] Sir Wm. Stirling-Maxwell Baronet, The Cloister Life of the Emperor Charles V: The Works of Sir Wm. Stirling- Maxwell Baronet, volume V, London, 1891 pp. 26-27,29,32, 36. [3] Ibid, pp. 36, 499, 517. [4] Charles's greatest source of amusement came from his clocks. Gianello followed the Emperor to his retirement at the convent of San Yuste and devoted his time to the creation of automata such as miniature soldiers that marched, rode, beat drums, blew trumpets and fought wars or wooden birds that could fly. The one work that survives attributed to Gianello is an automaton of a female lute player now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. (see Silvio A. Bedini, The Role of Automata in the History of Technology, in Technology and Culture, volume 5, no. 1, Winter, 1964, p.32. [5] Antonine Perrenot de Granvelle (1517-1586) became the Bishop of Arras in 1540 at the age of twenty-three, and in 1550 succeeded his father Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle (1484-1550) as Secretary of State to Charles V. He developed a skill at diplomacy and was responsible for the negotiations of the marriage between Mary I of England and Philip II. Upon the abdication of Charles he transferred his services to Philip and worked in the Netherlands. He is identifiable by his mitre, staff, and robe as well as from known portraits by Titian in The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, and Antonis Mor, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. [6] Stirling-Maxwell, pp. 515-517. [7] Peter Burke, Presenting and Representing Charles V and the Mythification of the Emperor in Charles V 1500- 1558 and his Time, ed. Hugo Soly, Mercatafords, Antwerp, 1999, pp. 455-456, 468-469. [8] J. de Maere & M. Wabbes, Francois Duchatel in Illustrated Dictionary of 17th Century Flemish Painters, La Renaissance du Livre, Brussels, 1994, p. 134. [9] Bernadette Bodson, Francois Duchatel in Les Dictionnaire des Peintres Belges, La Renaissance du Livre, Brussels, 1995, p. 400. [10] Biographical information taken from J. de Maere & M. Wabbes, as well as Bernadette Bodson, see footnotes 8 & 9.
MUSIZIERENDES PAAR Öl auf Leinwand. Doubliert. 48,8 x 40,7 cm. In teilebonisiertem und mit Schildpatt belegtem Rahmen. Wir danken Dr. Jan De Boever für seine Zuschreibung an den genannten Künstler im Jahre 2020. Fein aufgefasstes Interieur, in welches sanftes Tageslicht durch ein auf der linken Seite gelegenes Fenster scheint. Ein Mann eine Theorbe spielend, während neben dem Stuhl der Frau ein Cello steht. Rechts neben dem Paar ein besonders fein gezeichneter Teppich, der auf einem Tisch ruht. (1290988) (13) François Duchatel, 1616/25 – 1679/94 A COUPLE MAKING MUSIC Oil on canvas. Relined. 48.8 x 40.7 cm. We would like to thank Dr Jan De Boever for his attribution to the aforementioned artist in 2020. Export restrictions outside the EU.
François Duchatel Bruxelles, vers 1620 - vers 1690 Portrait de la famille Janssens Huile sur toile Signée et datée ''DUCHAS(...) / A° 1672.'' en bas à gauche (signature reprise) Portrait of the Janssens family, oil on canvas, signed and dated, by F. Duchatel h: 110 w: 180,50 cm Provenance : Collection de Meester de Heyndonck, château d''Attre, au XIXe siècle ; Puis par descendance Expositions : ''Cinq siècles d''art. Peintures : art ancien bruxellois et sélections étrangères'', Exposition universelle et internationale de Bruxelles, 24 mai-13 oct. 1935, n° 270 Bibliographie : Francine-Claire Legrand, ''Les peintres flamands de genre au XVIIe siècle'', Bruxelles, 1963, p. 109 Bulletin des Musées royaux des beaux-arts de Belgique, vol. 16, 1967, p. 200, fig. 28 Albert P. de Mirimonde, "Scènes de genre musicales de l''ecole française du XVIIIe siècle dans les collections nationales", in ''La Revue du Louvre et des musées de France'', 1968, n° 1, p. 18, note 15 Albert P. de Mirimonde, ''L''iconographie musicale sous les rois Bourbons'', 1977, p. 95 Commentaire : François Duchatel, actif à Bruxelles au XVIIe siècle, a parfois été considéré comme ayant été élève de David Teniers. Certaines de ses représentations de réjouissances villageoises peuvent en effet être rapprochées de l''art du maître flamand. Une vaste composition conservée au musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand, L''inauguration du roi d''Espagne Charles II comme comte de Flandres en 1666, est à n''en pas douter l''œuvre la plus renommée à ce jour de cet artiste dont l''œuvre reste à redécouvrir. C''est cependant dans l''art des portraits de cabinets à plusieurs figures, également connus sous le nom de Conversation pieces1, que François Duchatel s''illustra. En marge des portraits d''apparats de plus grands formats, centrés sur les modèles en pied ou à mi-corps, qui parsèment la production des grands peintres tels que Rubens, Van Dyck ou encore Cornelis de Vos, ces portraits de groupes, de dimensions plus modestes, représentant le plus souvent des familles dans leur intérieur ou dans un parc, accessibles à un plus grand nombre de commanditaires, séduisirent les familles aisées des villes de Flandres et connurent un réel succès, notamment sous le pinceau de Gonzales Coques à Anvers. Par leur mode de composition, ces Conversation pieces s''apparentent à la peinture de genre, très présente sur les murs des demeures en Flandres, et offrent la possibilité de mises en scènes variées. Le Portrait de la famille Janssens de François Duchatel est un merveilleux témoignage de cet art du portrait renouvelé. Dans un somptueux palais de marbre orné de quelques antiques, les membres d''une famille élégamment vêtus sont installés. Le père et la mère sont au centre, vraisemblablement entourés de leurs enfants. A droite de la composition, du côté de Madame Janssens, trois fillettes jouent avec un petit chien et confectionnent des bouquets de fleurs pour leur mère. A gauche, du côté de Monsieur Janssens se trouvent les jeunes garçons occupés à la lecture et à l''écriture. A l''arrière-plan l''aînée de la famille est assise au clavecin, instrument fréquent dans les intérieurs des demeures dans l''Europe du XVIIe siècle et objet d''éducation essentiel des jeunes filles bien nées. Le patronyme de Janssens était très répandu dans les Flandres et nous ne pouvons déterminer avec certitude l''identité des modèles de cet ambitieux portrait. Paul Mantz nous apprend néanmoins que l''un des fils de François Duchatel épousa la fille du peintre Victor-Honoré Janssens2. Le succès de ces portraits de famille traversa les frontières et atteignit également la France de Louis XIV. Le portraitiste François de Troy se fit une spécialité de ces rassemblements familiaux sur la toile et son fils Jean-François en réalisa à sa suite, comme en témoigne le ''Portrait de la famille de Franqueville'', œuvre à deux mains conservée au musée de la Chartreuse de Douai (fig. 1)3. Daté de 1711, ce portrait de groupe à l''architecture classique et à la jeune fille au clavecin se situe dans la lignée directe des Conversation pieces flamandes et de la famille Janssens de François Duchatel. 1. Voir notamment Hans Vlieghe, ''Flemish Art and Architecture 1585-1700'', New Haven-Londres, 1998, p. 146 à 148 2. " François Duchatel ", in Charles Blanc, ''Histoire des peintres de toutes les écoles. Ecole flamande'', Paris, 1895, p. 242 3. Voir D. Brême, ''François de Troy'', Paris, 1997, p. 164 et Ch. Leribault, ''Jean-François de Troy'', Paris, 2002, p. 224, n° P. 29
