The new double issue of Oud Holland contains four thought-provoking articles on fifteenth- and seventeenth-century art. Firstly, Jan Verheyen delves into the world of the painter ‘Pieter Cristus’ (ca. 1420-1475), explaining in the process why that spelling is preferable to as the more familiar Petrus Christus. Thanks to new archival finds, the author is able to reconstruct several key aspects of the artist’s life in and around his hometown of Baarle, as well as his career as portrait painter in Bruges.
In the second, the ongoing debate on potential collaborations with Frans Hals is furthered with a close stylistic analysis of one of his quintessential works. Its author, Claus Grimm, convincingly argues that fellow Haarlem landscape painter Gerrit Bleker was actively involved in the production of the monumental family portrait of Gijsbert van Campen and Maria Palesteyn with their thirteen children, here dated between 1623-1625.
Susan Russell explains in the third article how a special series of etched views on Rome by Herman van Swanevelt has come to life. By thoroughly analyzing the world of the commissioner, the French writer Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux, Russell provides clues that shed light on the realization of the series in 1650 and its role in the printmaking scene in Paris.
Lastly, a newly found design drawing for a triptych commemorating the life of Maria Snyders offers insight into the artistic process, from detailed design to balanced composition. The author, Catherine Phillips, also proves that both design and triptych were realized by Jan Boeckhorst approximately five years before Snyders’ death in 1659.
Summaries of all articles can be found on the Oud Holland website.
Oud Holland – Journal for Art of the Low Countries 2024 – 1/2, volume 137
Jan Verheyen
From fields of rye to Eyckian grandeur: New biographical data on Pieter Cristus (ca. 1420-1475)
Claus Grimm
Frans Hals and Gerrit Bleker: A joint collaboration on a fragmented family portrait (1623-1625)
Susan Russell
‘Diverses veues deseignees en la Ville de Rome’: Herman van Swanevelt’s 1650 print series for Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux
Catherine Phillips
The symbols of the four evangelists: A newly discovered modello for Jan Boeckhorst’s Snyders triptych (ca. 1654)
Oud Holland – Journal for Art of the Low Countries
The oldest surviving art-historical journal in the world is a Dutch periodical. From 1883 until now Oud Holland – Journal for Art of the Low Countries publishes scholarly articles about important archival finds and major art-historical discoveries. The scope of Oud Holland is art from the Low Countries from ca. 1400 to 1920. For more information and news about recent issues of Oud Holland, online reviews, subscriptions and information for authors, visit oudholland.rkd.nl.