Category: Research projects

Erasmus: The man, the myth, the legend, the university

In April 2022 I contacted Roman Koot, librarian at the Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet, with a proposal to curate an exhibition about Erasmus. The idea for an exhibition emerged very early in my PhD project about Erasmus because I noticed that students and staff alike were rather unacquainted with the namesake of the university. Roman Koot responded enthusiastically and together with John Tholen, curator of special collections at Rotterdam Library, we embarked on the mission to create an exhibition where visitors would learn more about Erasmus and his relation to Rotterdam and the university. A year and a half later, the exhibition opened during a festive opening

Besides the exhibition in the University Library, there is a parallel medal exhibition devoted to Erasmus by the Dutch Economic Medal Cabinet (NEPK), which can be found in the Art Gallery on campus. We moreover curated an online exhibition, designed by Faye Kruithof.

Access the online exhibition

Illustrated Orienlightenment

Early Dutch Orientalism and Enlightenment in Mahomets Alkoran (1696)

Six illustrations in Mahomets Alkoran by Caspar Luyken

Only a single illustrated edition of the Qur’an has been published throughout history. Mahomets Alkoran, a Dutch translation of 1696, is adorned with six illustrations that are seemingly both informative and sensational. In this thesis, I investigate how these contradictory sentiments in the illustrations of Muslims and Muhammad worked together in the publication. The book was published in a period of interest in Islam for philosophical and entertaining purposes. Mahomets Alkoran reacted to the audience’s demand through illustrations that both informative and critical of Islamicate culture and Islamic prayer, and through illustrations that are mainly entertaining. The text itself is equally contradictory for it informs of Islam, criticizes Islam and also motivates a comparative reading with the Bible. I trace these differences to the different contexts of creation of text, paratext and illustrations, and to a concurrence of Orientalism and Enlightenment.
Orientalism is evident from the stereotyping and Othering the Islamicate world while Enlightenment has impacted the emphasis on themes like cultural relativism, iconoclasm and the oneness of God and nature, especially through effective placements of illustrations. Together, Orientalism and Enlightenment caused the physical, cognitive and philosophical charm of Mahomets Alkoran but also caused some dichotomies in the publication.

Matching watermarks to identify sketchbooks by Dutch artists in Rome

Watermark research is increasingly used in research of major artists and new techniques greatly expand the applicability of watermark research and its outcomes. Identification of a sheet’s watermark can give insight into the date and place of origin of a drawing, print or book. When different sheets are compared, the watermark can prove their connectedness because similar watermarks indicate a common date and origin. Compared with traditional methods of art history, watermarks can be useful in establishing authorship and year of production of an artwork on paper but also working practice. In this paper I will call for increased watermark research in specifically landscape sketchbooks by Dutch artists in Rome.

We know about Dutch artists drawing in Rome and about early modern sketchbooks from extant specimen, inventories and catalogues and from biographers. At the dawn of the seventeenth century, the Netherlandish painter and art theorist Karel van Mander (1548-1606) advised young art students to travel to Rome and study Roman “canvas, stone and copperplates”. Specifically, he suggests his readers to “steal arms, legs, bodies, hands [and] feet” through painting, drawing and sketching. According to Van Mander, the drawings must be brought back from Rome to be employed throughout the artist’s career in the Netherlands.[1] He goes as far as to criticize Bartholomeus Spranger (1546-1611) for not drawing and leaving Rome without artworks, although he argues that Spranger’s memory was adequate to reproduce what he had seen.[2] According to Arnold Houbraken (1660-1719), the German artist Filip Peter Roos (1657-1706) was not reluctant about drawing but had to ask his fellow artists who had brought their “portfolios under their cloaks” (emphasis mine) for materials because he had forgotten his own.[3] Hendrik Graauw (c. 1627-1693) also drew while in Rome, and, according to Houbraken, obediently brought back his drawings to the Netherlands.[4] Combined with the many Dutch drawings of Italian ruins, landscapes and artworks that currently reside in museums around the world and through inventories and auction catalogues is clear that artists travelled to Rome and drew during their voyages.[5] Thus, the Italian antiquities and landscapes migrated to the Netherlands in large numbers, albeit in paper form.

[1] Karel van Mander, Den Grondt Der Edel Vry Schilder-Const: Waer in Haer Ghestalt, Aerdt Ende Wesen, de Leer-Lustighe Jeught in Verscheyden Deelen in Rijm-Dicht Wort Voor Ghedraghen, vol. 2 (Haarlem, 1604), 5r-7r.

[2] Van Mander, Den Grondt Der Edel Vry Schilder-Const, 271r-271v. Concerning the different interpretations of this section, see Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann, ‘Reading Van Mander on the Reception of Rome : A Crux in the Biography of Spranger in the Schilder-Boeck’ (Fiamminghi a Roma 1508-1608, Brussels, 1995).

[3] Arnold Houbraken, De groote schouburgh der nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen: waar van ’er veele met hunne beeltenissen ten tooneel verschynen, … zynde een vervolg op het schilderboek van K. v. Mander … (The Hague: J. Swart, C. Boucquet, M. Gaillard, 1753), 280.

[4] Houbraken, De groote schouburgh, 190.

[5] Employing sketchbooks was not only used in Rome or Italy. A solid argument is the sketchbook by Roelant Savery (1576-1639). He drew everything he ought painterly in a book whilst in Tirol. Both contemporary biographies and inventories and surviving objects argue for this practice. See, for example, inv. nos. RP-T-00-598 and RP-T-1939-9 from the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum. For notes in early biographies, see Sandrart, Teutsche Academie, 305; Houbraken, De groote schouburgh der nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen, 57.

The role of the Quran in Thomas Hees’ portrait

Michiel van Musscher, Thomas Hees with his nephews and a servant, 1687
Oil on canvas, h 76 x w 63 cm
Amsterdam: Rijksmuseum, inv. no. SK-C-1215

A 1687 painting by Michiel van Musscher (1645-1705) shows the diplomat Thomas Hees (1634-1693) surrounded by Dutch and Algerian objects. Hees is surrounded by his nephews Jan and Andries Hees and the black servant Thomas, whose name is known through the inscription on the painting’s verso. Andries is presenting a letter to his uncle, reading “Erentfeste Vrome ende Lieve Getrouwe Th. Hees Resident en Comm. Wegens Haer Ho.Mo. van Regeeringen van Alg. Tunis ende Tripolis. – Algier.”, which identifies the sitter and his occupations. The painting is filled with various objects and a large mirror reflects a courtyard surrounded by columns and balustrades. Above the framed mirror hangs the Dutch lion, flanked by two pieces of coral. To the right of that are muskets, powder flasks and sabres. The table which Thomas Hees leans on is loaded with various objects: an inkpot in the so-called ‘raadsheertje’ model, a letter, a red letter case, an hour glass, a globe and four books. These books include an atlas opened on the map of “Barbaria”, the Bible and the Quran. I will argue through iconographical and contextual analysis that by presenting himself in an Algerian setting and by juxtaposing North-African and Dutch objects and figures, Thomas Hees intended to present himself as an influential man, knowledgeable of both the Algerian and the Dutch culture. It is a true conversation piece in that it requires explanation to be understood in its entirety.

Like father, like son?

The books and art of Jan Goeree (1670-1731) in relation to the artistic theories of Willem Goeree (1635-1711)

Between 1700 and 1720, the Amsterdam engraver and painter Arnoud van Halen (1673-1732) collected poets. He painted their portraits on small oval-shaped metal plates and placed them in gilded frames. After 1720 the portraits were safely stored in the many drawers of a wooden cabinet designed by Simon Schijnvoet (1652-1727), who was an artist and collector of natural and historical objects. This cabinet is depicted on the frontispiece of the book Panpoëticon Batavûm (1720), written by Lambert Bidloo (1637-1724), in which all portrayed poets are celebrated through an elaborate poem. Included among the painted portraits and in the book are Willem Goeree (1635-1711) and his son Jan Goeree (1670-1731). Willem Goeree was a book publisher and a writer of books on art, theology and history and did not write any poems or comedies. By calling visual arts “Rym-loose Poësye,” Lambert Bidloo defended Goeree’s presence amongst the greatest poets in the Panpoëticon Batavûm. Bidloo further highlights the importance of Willem Goeree for the intellectualisation of arts and his influence on his son’s artistic practice, which can be distilled from the quote above. Jan Goeree was an engraver who made many frontispieces, of which the Panpoëticon Batavûm is but one example. He regularly wrote short explanatory poems accompanying his frontispieces and occasionally engaged in burlesque poetry that would be published posthumously in Mengelpoëzy (1734). In the few scholarly publications on Jan Goeree, he has never been discussed as bearer of his father’s art theories. This paper fills this gap in the research by relating Jan Goeree and his artistic oeuvre to his father’s treatises and asking to what extent Jan Goeree truly executed his father’s pursuits, as suggested by Lambert Bidloo.

Because Willem Goeree never theorized on poems or wrote treatises on engravings or book illustration, this paper is based on Jan Goeree’s library and on his drawings. It is argued that Jan Goeree’s collection of books closely resembles the advises of not only his father Willem Goeree but also of his teacher Gerard de Lairesse (1640-1711) and other writers such as Philips Angel (1618-1664). Jan Goeree’s drawings seem to deviate from his father’s advices as set out in Inleydinge tot de al-ghemeene teycken-konst (1668) and are instead more closely related to the practices of Jan Goeree’s teacher.

A Recurring Motive: Oriëntal carpets in the paintings of Domenico Ghirlandaio

Details of Domenico Ghirlandaio, Enthroned Madonna with child and saints (1483), Saint Jerome in his study (1480) and Mary with Child (ca. 1490-1500)

The representation of oriental objects in Renaissance paintings is described by for example Spallanzani (2007), Ionescu (2005) and Carrier (2008). Currently, art historian Lauren Arnold works on an important attribution to this topic, partly through a database of paintings with oriental carpets. Domenico Ghirlandaio (1448) is one of the many Italian artists incorporating oriental carpets in his artworks. This was not inventive, since he was preceded by other artists, for example Iacopo di Cione (c. 1325 – na 1390), Cenni di Francesco (1369-1415), Gentile da Fabriano (1370 – ca. 1420) and Fra Angelico (1395-1455). Ghirlandaio’s oeuvre has at least six paintings with oriental carpets. In this paper, I try to find an origin for the motives of these carpets. The motives are analysed and their iconographical and technical functionare discussed. The paintings of Ghirlandaio are compared to other paintings from the Quattrocento, with a focus on painters in his direct surroundings. The painted carpets will be related to trade and availability of oriental carpets in Florence.

Between uncontrollable excitement and sexual assault

The impact of changing morals on the interpretation of visual icons

Reconstruction of the pages in LIFE Magazine with photographs of V J Day kisses , August 27 th 1945

“When I’m not on this earth anymore, people will remember that picture [..] of V-J day 15th of August 1945,” . The V-J day kiss in Times Square is one of the most famous photographs by German-born Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898-1995). The excitement in the photograph is representational for the overall mood in America on the day of the victory over Japan. Photographers of Life Magazine were sent to several places in America, like Washington, Miami, Kansas City, and, in the case of Alfred Eisenstaedt, New York, Times Square. Their assignment: capture the celebrations of the victory over Japan. Their photos were published in LIFE Magazine of the 27th of August 1945. Two pages were filled with V-J Day Kisses, titled “The Men of War kiss from Coast to Coast”, of which Eisenstaedt’s photograph filled an entire page

In our modern society, editors of newspapers and magazines would think twice before publishing such photographs. Upon hearing Eisenstaedt’s description of the situation, namely a sailor kissing every woman he came across, the photograph would be either rejected or published with a caption speaking out negatively on the situation. In this paper, this discrepancy between the context of the original publication and the modern society is analysed. To this end, the motive behind the original publications, the reasons for a positive reception, the afterlife of the photograph and the present-day status of the photograph are discussed.

Japan and the Orient through the eyes of the Wiener Secession

On 24 May 1897 nineteen artists left the traditional Viennese Künstlerhaus, partly because they did not want to work in a historising style and because they did not want to be influenced by politics. They opposed the Austrian arthistorical tradition, forcing them to find their inspiration elsewhere. As a result of the technological revolution starting around 1870, the world was increasingly globalised, allowing the artists to observe artistic traditions of many cultures. This period marked the rise of Japonism and orientalism flourished, most notably in France but also in Germany and Austria. Despite the absence of Austrian colonies, multiple exhibitions with objects from East-Asia and the Near East were hosted in fin de siècle Vienna. The World Expo was hosted in Vienna in 1873, including Ottoman, Japanese and Persian objects. The Ausstellung Orientalische Teppische was organised in the Österreiches Handels-Museum in 1891. And in 1910 München hosted the exhibition ‘Meisterwerke Muhammedanische Kunst’, to which Austria provided intellectual and physical attributions. According to curators of oriental exhibitions in Vienna and (contemporary) art critics, around 1900 artists and artisans took inspiration from oriental artisanry in the various temporary and permanent exhibitions and collections as inspiration for their own works. Some members of the Vienna Secession indeed owned and observed non-western objects, while some even traveled to Japan.

In this essay, I discuss to what extend the presence of objects from Asia has impacted the artworks from the members of the Vienna Secession.

Recht en Onrecht by Barbara Broekman

Barbara Broekman (1955) is an Amsterdam-based artist who makes monumental artworks. She mostly bases her works on textile techniques and patterns. In 2012, she created My Town, a celebration of diversity, which is in the public hallway of the Amsterdam Museum. In 2017, Broekman created the artwork Recht en Onrecht, or Justice and Injustice, for the law faculty of the University of Amsterdam, located at Roeterseiland. The enormous canvas measures 30 by 4,5 meters and spans seven floors. Through sections of historical and modern artworks, Broekman has represented jurisdiction.

In a project with teachers and students of art history and law, and with cooperation of Barbara Broekman, we reconstructed all artworks which were used in the monumental work by Broekman. We identified the figures and argued in what way the scenes or persons were connected to the themes of justice, injustice, jurisdiction, law, and good and evil. Our work is presented on the website. It allows students, staff and visitors to the law faculty to understand what they see. I have identified all figures that are visible from the fifth floor, including amongst others Sisyphus, Oedipus, Plato and Job. I have written a longer essay about the way the biblical story of Susanna and the Elders impacted present-day law.

Amsterdam drawings on Japanese paper

The course Drawing in Focus was a collaboration between the University of Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Museum. With a select group of students, we studied varied drawings in the collection of the museum. The drawing of my choice was The Entrance to a Garden by Jan Lievens (1607-1674). This outstanding drawing shows a gate to a garden, with a lady, a child and a dog. The trees are delicately rendered with brown ink. The tone is caused by the type of paper, namely Japanese paper.

Jan Lievens, The Entrance to a Garden, 1668-1674
Pen and ink on Japanese paper, h 222 mm x w 371 mm
Amsterdam Museum, inv. no. TA 10207

In my research, I assembled all Dutch seventeenth-century drawings known to be drawn on Japanese paper. From this systematic collection, I could conclude that Japanese paper was almost exclusively used in Amsterdam, specifically in the close circle around Rembrandt (1606-1669). If you are interested in the list, send me a message!

See the video below for my vlog for the Amsterdam Museum website.