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The Artist with his Family

Karel van Mander III1624-1670

SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst

SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst
Copenhagen, Danmark

This informal self-portrait shows the artist Karel van Mander with his family. His wife, Maria Fern, is shown with an open book, presumably the Bible, and lovingly clasping her mother’s hand. All three look toward the spectator with alert gazes. Family life was a favourite motif within Dutch and Flemish art in the 17th century. This makes the work typical of its day. The persons in the painting are depicted as distinctive individuals, full of life and character, and attention is focused on the figures’ emotional relationships with each other. Nothing in the painting points to van Mander’s profession as an artist, a fact that only serves to accentuate its focus on family life. Karel van Mander III (circa 1609-70) belongs to a Dutch family of painters. He arrived in Denmark in 1623 and finished his education here, after which he began working for Christian IV. Trips to the Netherlands and Italy made him familiar with the leading schools and movements of the time. Having returned to Denmark he became the favourite portrait painter amongst the royal household and the nobility. In van Mander they found an artist of international standing and calibre who knew how to successfully merge inspiration from Danish role models with the most recent impulses from abroad. Van Mander was part of the cultural elite in Copenhagen. He shared a number of interests with the great pioneer within Danish museum life, Ole Worm. Both men were collectors and owned considerable private collections that were open to interested parties. Van Mander was also interested in anatomy, and in the 1650s he worked together with the doctor Thomas Bartholin to create illustrations for a large volume on anatomy. A collection of drawings housed at the Royal Collection of Graphic Arts is believed to be preliminary studies for this work. His own time described him as more than just a painter; he was an honnête homme, i.e. a man well versed in the full spectrum of culture, learning, and refinement. Towards the end of his life van Mander was also associated with Frederik III’s kunstkammer in the capacity of inspector.

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  • Title: The Artist with his Family
  • Creator: Karel van Mander III
  • Creator Lifespan: Either 1609 or 1610 Delft - 1670 København
  • Creator Nationality: Dutch
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: København
  • Creator Birth Place: Delft
  • Date Created: 1624-1670
  • Værktekst: På dette uformelle selvportræt ses kunstneren Karel van Mander i familiens skød. Skildringer af familielivet var et yndet motiv i hollandsk og flamsk malerkunst i 1600-tallet. At intet i billedet fremhæver van Manders kunstneriske virksomhed er med til at betone dets familiære fokus. På dette uformelle selvportræt ses kunstneren Karel van Mander i familiens skød. Hustruen Maria Fern sidder med en opslået bog - sandsynligvis Bibelen, mens hun kærligt fatter sin mors hånd. De ser alle tre opmærksomt mod beskueren. Skildringer af familielivet var et yndet motiv i hollandsk og flamsk malerkunst i 1600-tallet. Dermed er værket typisk for sin tid. De enkelte familiemedlemmer er gengivet som individuelle, livfulde karakterer, og der er fokus på figurernes indbyrdes følelsesmæssige relationer. At intet i billedet fremhæver van Manders kunstneriske virksomhed er med til at betone dets familiære fokus. Karel van Mander III (ca. 1609-70), tilhører en hollandsk malerslægt. Han kom til Danmark i 1623, og afsluttede sin uddannelse her, hvorefter han begyndte at arbejde for Christian 4. Studierejser til Nederlandene og Italien gjorde ham bekendt med tidens førende skoler på kunstens område. Efter hjemkomsten blev han kongehusets og adelens foretrukne portrætmaler. I ham fandt de en maler af international kaliber, der forstod at blande danske forbilleder med de seneste udenlandske impulser. Van Mander var en del af den Københavnske kulturelite. Han - og det danske museumsvæsens store foregangsmand, Ole Worm - havde fælles interesser. De var selv samlere og indehavere af en betydelig privatsamling, der var tilgængelig for interesserede. Desuden interesserede van Mander sig for anatomi, og i samarbejde med lægen Thomas Bartholin arbejdede han i 1650’erne på illustrationerne til et stort anatomisk værk. En samling tegninger i Den Kongelige Kobberstiksamling menes at være forlæg hertil. Samtiden beskrev ham som mere end blot maler; han var en honnête homme, dvs. en mand, der omfattede hele tidens dannelse. I sine sidste år var van Mander desuden tilknyttet Frederik 3.s kunstkammer som inspektør.
  • Teknik: Olie på lærred
  • Proveniens: Erhvervet 1927
  • Dansk link: http://www.smk.dk/index.php?id=2661
  • Dansk Titel: Kunstneren med sin familie
  • Physical Dimensions: w111.5 x h136.5 cm (Without frame)
  • Provenance: Acquired 1927
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: Statens Museum for Kunst, http://www.smk.dk/en/copyright/creative-commons/
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst

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