Rearing horse, near a stable

Dirk Stoop (c. 1615–1686) was a widely travelled painter and engraver of the Dutch Golden Age. Allternative versions of his name include Dirck Stoff, Theodorus (van der) Stoop, Thierry (the French version) and Rod(e)rigo, by which he was known in Portugal. Stoop was born in Utrecht. His father was the glass painter Willem Jansz. van Stoop and his brother Maerten was also a painter, especially of war scenes. The 18th century Dutch art historian Arnold Houbraken, considered the elder Stoop to be a good horse painter. The younger Stoop was a pupil in the Utrecht guild and was known for Italianate landscapes with hunting parties, views of ports, cavalry scenes, history paintings, still lifes and altarpieces, which were valued highly in his time.

Some time in 1639 Stoop went to live in Italy and afterwards seems to have led an itinerant existence. While in Lisbon, he became Court painter to the Princess Catherine of Braganza, whom he followed to London when she was betrothed to Charles II in 1662. From this time dates the series of eight large plates portraying her progress from Portsmouth to Hampton Court^. He is also known to have executed 24 engravings for the second, luxury edition of John Ogilby’s Aesop’s Fables in 1665, signing them as R(ordrig)o Stoop.

Currently Te Papa has three etchings by Stoop in its collection. This etching come from a series of twelve depicting horses and is the most dramatic one. It depicts a rearing horse seen from behind to the left, with the smartly-dressed horseman carrying a sword. Other horses with a stablehand are coming out of a stable at the centre - they are possibly startling the rearing horse.  On the right a man is sitting against the stable, pulling his boots; he is possibly a servant or attendant of the well-dressed man. Each of the two protagonists is watched by his faithful dog and the scene is rendered with a certain amount of humour.

This etching is mounted in the so-called King George IV album of Old Master prints, which was purchased by the Dominion Museum in 1910.

See: Wikipedia, 'Dirck Stoop', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirk_Stoop

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art   March 2019