Pieter Fransz. de Grebber - The Triumph of Bacchus
Pieter Fransz. de Grebber
The Triumph of Bacchus
Oil on canvas (relined). 124 x 160 cm.
Signed and dated lower left: P. de Grebber 1628.
Bacchus sits upon a stone throne with a crown of vine leaves upon his head, holding court as he gracefully accepts the obeisance of his entourage. They stand lined up before him bringing gifts, led by two women carrying a large cornucopia, a symbol of wealth. The women are followed by boys and girls, one riding a goat, who also bring gifts for the god of wine. A river god rests by Bacchus' feet beside a large urn spilling water. This unusual mythological scene was painted in 1628, a highly productive year for Pieter de Grebber, during which he also painted several large religious narratives such as “The Seven Works of Mercy” and “Jacob, Rachel, and Leah” for the Oudemannenhuis in his home town of Haarlem. The artist was not yet 30 at the time, but these commissions testify to his early fame, even outside Haarlem's borders.
Pieter de Grebber´s artistic career was closely tied to his religious beliefs. He was a Catholic, and thus belonged to a minority, at least in the Northern Netherlands. He painted for many “schuilkerken”, Catholic churches in the northern provinces which could not be recognisable as such. It was through his family's profession to the Catholic faith that he gained connections in Flanders early on in life (his father was also a painter), and often received commissions for altarpieces. He travelled to Flanders in 1618 when he was just 18 years old, and there he met Peter Paul Rubens in Antwerp, who became a great inspiration to him, but he also came into contact with the art of Rembrandt and the Utrecht Caravaggisti. His faith did not hinder him in receiving important public commissions in Holland, for example from the Stadtholder Frederick Hendrick. When Hendrick died, de Grebbers was among the small number of Netherlandish artists commissioned to paint the monumental paintings of the Oranjezaal in Huis ten Bosch in The Hague.
Alongside his Catholic faith, de Grebber's classical education was of central importance to his art, and the present work is an excellent example of this. He learnt the Greek myths and their iconography in narrative painting during his training under the highly educated artist Hendrick Goltzius. Thus, we find numerous mythological subjects among de Grebber's works, such as “The Rape of Europa” (1647; Stuttgart, Württembergische Staatsgalerie), “Diana and Her Retinue” (1635; Leipzig, Museum der bildenden Künste), and “The Judgement of Paris” (circa 1620; Christie´s, London, 16.12.1988, lot 114).
Provenance
John C. Balen. - Auctioned by Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, 12.2.1970, lot 59. - Ira Spanierman, New York. - Auctioned by Sotheby's, London, 8.12.1971, lot 98. - The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles/Malibu (inv. no. 71.PA.67). - Auctioned by Sotheby´s, New York, 26.1.2007, lot 131.
Literature
Peter C. Sutton: A Guide to Dutch Art in America, Grand Rapids 1986, p. 139.
Exhibitions
Haarlem: The seventeenth Century, Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, New Brunswick 1983, no. 64.
View it on
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
Pieter Fransz. de Grebber
The Triumph of Bacchus
Oil on canvas (relined). 124 x 160 cm.
Signed and dated lower left: P. de Grebber 1628.
Bacchus sits upon a stone throne with a crown of vine leaves upon his head, holding court as he gracefully accepts the obeisance of his entourage. They stand lined up before him bringing gifts, led by two women carrying a large cornucopia, a symbol of wealth. The women are followed by boys and girls, one riding a goat, who also bring gifts for the god of wine. A river god rests by Bacchus' feet beside a large urn spilling water. This unusual mythological scene was painted in 1628, a highly productive year for Pieter de Grebber, during which he also painted several large religious narratives such as “The Seven Works of Mercy” and “Jacob, Rachel, and Leah” for the Oudemannenhuis in his home town of Haarlem. The artist was not yet 30 at the time, but these commissions testify to his early fame, even outside Haarlem's borders.
Pieter de Grebber´s artistic career was closely tied to his religious beliefs. He was a Catholic, and thus belonged to a minority, at least in the Northern Netherlands. He painted for many “schuilkerken”, Catholic churches in the northern provinces which could not be recognisable as such. It was through his family's profession to the Catholic faith that he gained connections in Flanders early on in life (his father was also a painter), and often received commissions for altarpieces. He travelled to Flanders in 1618 when he was just 18 years old, and there he met Peter Paul Rubens in Antwerp, who became a great inspiration to him, but he also came into contact with the art of Rembrandt and the Utrecht Caravaggisti. His faith did not hinder him in receiving important public commissions in Holland, for example from the Stadtholder Frederick Hendrick. When Hendrick died, de Grebbers was among the small number of Netherlandish artists commissioned to paint the monumental paintings of the Oranjezaal in Huis ten Bosch in The Hague.
Alongside his Catholic faith, de Grebber's classical education was of central importance to his art, and the present work is an excellent example of this. He learnt the Greek myths and their iconography in narrative painting during his training under the highly educated artist Hendrick Goltzius. Thus, we find numerous mythological subjects among de Grebber's works, such as “The Rape of Europa” (1647; Stuttgart, Württembergische Staatsgalerie), “Diana and Her Retinue” (1635; Leipzig, Museum der bildenden Künste), and “The Judgement of Paris” (circa 1620; Christie´s, London, 16.12.1988, lot 114).
Provenance
John C. Balen. - Auctioned by Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, 12.2.1970, lot 59. - Ira Spanierman, New York. - Auctioned by Sotheby's, London, 8.12.1971, lot 98. - The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles/Malibu (inv. no. 71.PA.67). - Auctioned by Sotheby´s, New York, 26.1.2007, lot 131.
Literature
Peter C. Sutton: A Guide to Dutch Art in America, Grand Rapids 1986, p. 139.
Exhibitions
Haarlem: The seventeenth Century, Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, New Brunswick 1983, no. 64.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
