Portraits Of Dutch Married Couples, Cornelis Janssens Van Ceulen (london 1593 - Utrecht 1661)

Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen
(London 1593 - Utrecht 1661)
Pair of 17th century portraits of Dutch married couples

Oil on wooden panel

69 x 57 cm
in frame 96 x 84 cm.

A young Dutch married couple is immortalised in our two portraits, both dressed in large, austere black gowns made of precious black silk and fine lace details, all according to the highest standards of elegance of the time.

The portraits perfectly fulfil the commissioners' need to demonstrate their social status, and every detail reveals their belonging to a wealthy upper middle-class family of 17th century Holland.

The couple's attire, intense and candid at the same time, is meticulous and although it is not excessively ostentatious, it is enriched with some fine jewellery.

At a time when black clothing was fashionable, artists endeavoured to depict the different shades and textures of fabrics as convincingly as possible, an ideal background with which to create a contrast to the snow-white linen and rich lace: this extreme opposition between black and white is both austere and exciting and is a characteristic feature of portraiture of this period.

The effigies pose naturally, graceful as they gaze at the viewer, aware of their rank, while their lips are moved by a delicate smile, in adherence to the pictorial custom of the time which, in order to express a feeling, required painters to hint at emotions, without making them explicit, and therefore vulgar.

The style and character of the paintings lead us to attribute them to Cornelius Johnson (1593-1661), a talented Flemish painter born in London in 1593, the son of Flemish emigrants.

In 1632 he was appointed as a painter at the court of Charles I, but was forced to flee towards the end of 1643, following the outbreak of civil war. Johnson and his family returned to the Netherlands, settling in Utrecht, where he remained an important portrait painter until his death.

His works, of great technical refinement, are true masterpieces of portraiture, characterised by a naturalistic approach, rendered with a subtle and smooth modulation of paint, and with particular attention to the details of costumes.

The couple are depicted within a mock oval enriched by volutes at the corners, an expedient often used by van Ceulen in his portraits.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The paintings are sold complete with an attractive frame and come with a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.

We take care of and organise the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.

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