Mercury Departing from Antwerp. Fragment of a larger painting
Artist/Maker
Material / Technique
Dimensionsh x w: Mått 291 x 140 cm h x w x d: Ram 303 x 151 x 6 cm
Inventory numberNM 597
AcqusitionTransferred 1866 from Kongl. Museum (Gustaf III 1792)
Other titlesTitle (sv): Merkurius lämnar Antwerpen. Fragment av större målning Title (en): Mercury Departing from Antwerp. Fragment of a larger painting
DescriptionCatalogue raisonné: Description in Flemish paintings C. 1600-C. 1800 III, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 2010, cat.no. 157: Technical notes: The support consists of two pieces of densely woven plain weave fabric that have been sewn together vertically. The left hand piece is 75.5 cm wide, the right one 66 cm. The painting has not been cut. The canvas probably come from the same bale. The painting has been lined and mounted on a strainer converted to a stretcher. There are remnants of a red seal on the reverse of the stretcher with a coat of arms on the left and right sides. The canvas was prepared with a thick layer of dark grey but irregularities in the texture of the fabric are partly visible all over the painting.¨ Paint has been applied generously in thick layers with vigorous brushstrokes and covers the ground completely. There are numerous areas of impasto. Highlights stand out in relief. There are irregularities in the paint with coarse particles of pigment that have not been mixed thoroughly. The figure of Mercury has been painted into the reserved area left for it but adjustments have been made along the contours. No reserves were left for the details but they were executed directly on to the background in the form of staffs, bows, fruit and flowers, as well as wings. Reserved areas were left for the putti standing on the left. The figure on the far left has been painted directly on to the background. There is a paler, cooler layer of paint under Mercury’s flesh tones. The palette is rich with strong red pigments, blue, pale pink, yellow, probably lead- tin yellow, madder, partly faded. The contours of the figures have been adjusted. There are pentimenti on the left side of Mercury’s gown which the right. The execution of the foreground with its profuse detail is well modelled. The inscription at the bottom seems to have been painted over with a layer of brown that has darkened. The text has later been filled out. The painting is well preserved and underwent conservation treatment in 1861, 1961 and 2009. Provenance: Coll. Bodissoni 1757; bought by Gustav III (as Crown Prince) 1758; Coll. Gustav III 1761, no. 9 ; Gustav III, 1792, no. 72; KM 1795, no. 29; KM 1816, no. 674. Exhibited: Stockholm 1977, no. 17; Stockholm 2010, no. 20. Bibliography: Sander II, p. 108, no. 72; Rooses III, 1881, p. 318; Göthe 1887, pp. 229–230 (as circle of Rubens); Göthe 1893, pp. 282–283 (as circle of Rubens); Granberg 1931, p. 13 (as Theodor van Thulden), p. 165; NM Cat. 1958, p. 176; Martin 1972, no. 47, pp. 184, 185 (as copy after Rubens); NM Cat.1990, p. 319 (workshop of Rubens, copy after). When the City of Antwerp offered the new Spanish Governor of the Netherlands, the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand, a ceremonious entry into the city on 4 November 1634, Rubens was entrusted with the task of arranging the artistic decoration. He was helped in the composition of the iconographic programme by two of his closest friends, the humanist Jan Casper Gevaerts (Gevartius) and a councillor of state and former mayor of the city, Nicolas Rockox. The original commission was for a relatively modest arrangement comprising two triumphal arches and four theatres. Full of creative energy, Rubens also proposed a monumental portico with statues of the twelve Habsburg emperors. The master of the city mint also erected an arch designed by Rubens and Gevaerts, as did the Fugger family of merchants. Rubens was assisted by an entire army of architects, carpenters, sculptors and painters. As time was short, fairly large modelli were painted in oil for the most important sections. Rubens also painted sketches of the sculptures and paintings that were to decorate the arches.1 The artists commissioned to produce paintings were, apart from Rubens, Theodor van Thulden, Hans Jordaens and Cornelis de Vos. The actual entry took place on 17 April 1635. A record of the entry, the Pompa Introitus Ferdinandi, with plates by Theodor van Thulden and texts by Gevaerts was published in Antwerp in 1642. Rubens’ original sketch for The Stage of Mercury, a triumphal arch or stage positioned in 1635 at the St. Jan’s bridge in Antwerp, is now in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.1 The entire composition was intended to represent the decline of trade in Antwerp in the absence of Mercury.2 The painted decoration of this stage was allotted to Theodor van Thulden. Within the large central opening was a painting of Mercury Leaving Antwerp, later lost in a fire in the palace in Brussels in 1731. The god of commerce, a caduceus and a purse held in his upraised hand, is about to take flight from the pedestal on which he has been poised: little winged putti are trying to constrain him. The canvas was kept in the palace at Brussels and later went into the collection of the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. It was depicted by David Teniers II in his representation of the Archducal Gallery, now at Schleissheim.3 The painting in the Nationalmuseum, which Rooses believed to be a fragment of the original canvas, is a later copy of the principal figure in the original work. As Martin remarks “ the draughtsmanship is too spiritless and the handling to hard and unfeeling to be by Van Thulden”. The Stage of Mercury, like the other painted decorations for the ceremonious entry, was engraved by Van Thulden .4 GCB 1 Cat. 1870, no. 565. 2 See Rooses 1881, pp. 230, 236aa. 3 See Speth-Holterhoff 1957, pp. 146-147. 4 Etching by Van Thulden, Mercurius Abiturens; See Martin, no. 46.[End]Description in Flemish paintings C. 1600-C. 1800 III, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 2010, cat.no. 157: Technical notes: The support consists of two pieces of densely woven plain weave fabric that have been sewn together vertically. The left hand piece is 75.5 cm wide, the right one 66 cm. The painting has not been cut. The canvas probably come from the same bale. The painting has been lined and mounted on a strainer converted to a stretcher. There are remnants of a red seal on the reverse of the stretcher with a coat of arms on the left and right sides. The canvas was prepared with a thick layer of dark grey but irregularities in the texture of the fabric are partly visible all over the painting.¨ Paint has been applied generously in thick layers with vigorous brushstrokes and covers the ground completely. There are numerous areas of impasto. Highlights stand out in relief. There are irregularities in the paint with coarse particles of pigment that have not been mixed thoroughly. The figure of Mercury has been painted into the reserved area left for it but adjustments have been made along the contours. No reserves were left for the details but they were executed directly on to the background in the form of staffs, bows, fruit and flowers, as well as wings. Reserved areas were left for the putti standing on the left. The figure on the far left has been painted directly on to the background. There is a paler, cooler layer of paint under Mercury’s flesh tones. The palette is rich with strong red pigments, blue, pale pink, yellow, probably lead- tin yellow, madder, partly faded. The contours of the figures have been adjusted. There are pentimenti on the left side of Mercury’s gown which the right. The execution of the foreground with its profuse detail is well modelled. The inscription at the bottom seems to have been painted over with a layer of brown that has darkened. The text has later been filled out. The painting is well preserved and underwent conservation treatment in 1861, 1961 and 2009. Provenance: Coll. Bodissoni 1757; bought by Gustav III (as Crown Prince) 1758; Coll. Gustav III 1761, no. 9 ; Gustav III, 1792, no. 72; KM 1795, no. 29; KM 1816, no. 674. Exhibited: Stockholm 1977, no. 17; Stockholm 2010, no. 20. Bibliography: Sander II, p. 108, no. 72; Rooses III, 1881, p. 318; Göthe 1887, pp. 229–230 (as circle of Rubens); Göthe 1893, pp. 282–283 (as circle of Rubens); Granberg 1931, p. 13 (as Theodor van Thulden), p. 165; NM Cat. 1958, p. 176; Martin 1972, no. 47, pp. 184, 185 (as copy after Rubens); NM Cat.1990, p. 319 (workshop of Rubens, copy after). When the City of Antwerp offered the new Spanish Governor of the Netherlands, the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand, a ceremonious entry into the city on 4 November 1634, Rubens was entrusted with the task of arranging the artistic decoration. He was helped in the composition of the iconographic programme by two of his closest friends, the humanist Jan Casper Gevaerts (Gevartius) and a councillor of state and former mayor of the city, Nicolas Rockox. The original commission was for a relatively modest arrangement comprising two triumphal arches and four theatres. Full of creative energy, Rubens also proposed a monumental portico with statues of the twelve Habsburg emperors. The master of the city mint also erected an arch designed by Rubens and Gevaerts, as did the Fugger family of merchants. Rubens was assisted by an entire army of architects, carpenters, sculptors and painters. As time was short, fairly large modelli were painted in oil for the most important sections. Rubens also painted sketches of the sculptures and paintings that were to decorate the arches.1 The artists commissioned to produce paintings were, apart from Rubens, Theodor van Thulden, Hans Jordaens and Cornelis de Vos. The actual entry took place on 17 April 1635. A record of the entry, the Pompa Introitus Ferdinandi, with plates by Theodor van Thulden and texts by Gevaerts was published in Antwerp in 1642. Rubens’ original sketch for The Stage of Mercury, a triumphal arch or stage positioned in 1635 at the St. Jan’s bridge in Antwerp, is now in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.1 The entire composition was intended to represent the decline of trade in Antwerp in the absence of Mercury.2 The painted decoration of this stage was allotted to Theodor van Thulden. Within the large central opening was a painting of Mercury Leaving Antwerp, later lost in a fire in the palace in Brussels in 1731. The god of commerce, a caduceus and a purse held in his upraised hand, is about to take flight from the pedestal on which he has been poised: little winged putti are trying to constrain him. The canvas was kept in the palace at Brussels and later went into the collection of the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. It was depicted by David Teniers II in his representation of the Archducal Gallery, now at Schleissheim.3 The painting in the Nationalmuseum, which Rooses believed to be a fragment of the original canvas, is a later copy of the principal figure in the original work. As Martin remarks “ the draughtsmanship is too spiritless and the handling to hard and unfeeling to be by Van Thulden”. The Stage of Mercury, like the other painted decorations for the ceremonious entry, was engraved by Van Thulden .4 GCB 1 Cat. 1870, no. 565. 2 See Rooses 1881, pp. 230, 236aa. 3 See Speth-Holterhoff 1957, pp. 146-147. 4 Etching by Van Thulden, Mercurius Abiturens; See Martin, no. 46.[End]
Motif categoryReligion/Mythology
Collection
TechniquePainting
Object category
Keyword
External links