7 September 2017 - 14 January 2018
Better a good neighbour than a distant friend, so the saying goes. During the autumn of 2017, the Mauritshuis tells the story of Flemish portraiture using a selection of the best Flemish portraits from the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Antwerp (KMSKA).
Portrait of Philippe de Croy by Rogier van der Weyden
The nobleman Philippe de Croy (1434–1482) was bright, articulate and diplomatic, according to a contemporary chronicler. These qualities enabled him to obtain a prominent position at the court of the duke of Burgundy at a young age. In the course of his career, he proved to be a born opportunist, who unscrupulously sided with his adversaries if he thought it would serve his ends.
Around 1460 he had himself portrayed by Rogier van der Weyden, whose portraits were highly valued at the Burgundian court because their subjects looked both lifelike and distinguished. So it is hardly surprising that the young and ambitious Philippe – here we see him in his mid-twenties – chose Rogier, who portrayed his angular face, long nose and pronounced Adam’s apple in a way at once recognisable and stylised. Philippe is praying: his hands, with their long, thin fingers, feature prominently in the picture. Originally Philippe addressed his prayer to Mary and the Christ Child, who were portrayed on the left wing of the diptych to which this panel once belonged.
Portrait of Abraham Grapheus by Cornelis de Vos
Portraits were usually commissioned by the sitter or his family. In the case of Abraham Grapheus, however, it was the portraitist Cornelis de Vos who had the idea to paint his likeness. In 1620, De Vos gave Grapheus’s portrait to the guildhall of the Antwerp Guild of St Luke when he became its dean. Old Grapheus’s distinctive face was a familiar sight in Antwerp painters’ circles. As the ‘knaep’ (a kind of custodian or caretaker), he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the guild. Among his many tasks was the organisation of guild festivities.
De Vos portrayed Grapheus as he must often have appeared at such celebrations. With an apron tied around his waist and a jug in his hand, he casts a stern glance at something taking place outside the picture, ready to intervene at any moment. The decorations on his chest are so-called breuken: shield-shaped silver insignias that belonged to the guild.
This exceptional portrait was restored especially for this exhibition. After the removal of the discoloured varnish, the original paint layer emerged almost intact. We can now see the virtuoso skill with which the artist alternated passages of great precision with areas of broad brushwork.
