Schilder-boeck
Encyclopedia
The Schilder-Boeck is a book by the art historian Karel van Mander written in 1604. It was actually compiled from three books in total; the first was a translation from Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect, who is famous today for his biographies of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art-historical writing.-Biography:...

's list of artist biographies called the Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects
Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects
The Lives of the Most Excellent Italian Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, from Cimabue to Our Times, or Le Vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori, e architettori da Cimabue insino a' tempi nostri, as it was originally known in Italian, is a series of artist biographies written by 16th century...

, the second was a similarly styled "Lives of the Illustrious Netherlandish and German Painters", and the third was a translation of Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...

's stories Metamorphoses followed by an explanation of figures. The book sold well, though Karel van Mander died quite soon after publication. A second posthumous edition was produced in 1618, and it is this second edition which has been translated by Hessel Miedema
Hessel Miedema
Hessel Miedema is a leading Dutch art historian and the world authority on Karel van Mander.-Biography:He was born in Sneek, but grew up in Amsterdam, where he studied art history at the University of Amsterdam. After his studies in 1957 he became curator of the Princessehof Ceramics Museum in...

 into English with a facsimile of the original and 5 volumes of notes on the text.

Summary

The book begins with a book on the "foundations" of the painter's art. This introductory book has fourteen chapters on art theory listing such subjects as landscapes, animals, drapery, and arrangements of subjects. The following books are set up as lists of biographies or "explanations".
Van Mander split his book into six basic parts that have separate title pages and are indexed. Because the pages are numbered only on the right-hand page, the indexes have an addendum to the page number to indicate the front (recto) or back (verso) of the "folio" to be able to locate text more efficiently. Looking up painters remains difficult because the indexes use first names rather than last names, since the last names in use by the painters themselves were not consistent in all regions where the painters were active. Many painters were better known by their nicknames than their given names. For this reason, the spelling of the names used in the text do not always match the names in the indexes.
  • Foundations (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.)
  • Lives of ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman painters (Het Leven Der oude Antijcke doorluchtighe Schilders, soo wel Egyptenaren, Griecken als Romeynen)
  • Lives of modern Italian painters (Het Leven Der Moderne, oft dees-tijtsche doorluchtighe Italiaensche Schilders.)
  • Lives of great Dutch and German painters (Het Leven der Doorluchtighe Nederlandtsche, en Hooghduytsche Schilders.)
  • Explanation of Ovid's Metamorphosis (Wtlegghingh op den Metamorphosis Pub. Ouidij Nasonis.)
  • Explanation of Figures (Uvtbeeldinge der Figueren)

The biographies in the book are similar in style and format to Giorgio Vasari's book. Karel van Mander digresses only rarely from the format; starting per painter with an overview of the childhood years and a list of teachers, followed by some career information and concluding with a list of notable works. The second edition includes a biography of van Mander himself that Miedema believes was written by his brother, who may have been with him on his deathbed.

Translation

The bulk of the book is in the Lives of great Dutch and German painters. It is this part of the book that has historically been the most translated for details on painters of the Netherlands. This is also the subject of Miedema's book. He previously wrote a book on the Foundations. In his attempt to make a systematic overview of the Lives, Miedema includes a long list of sources for Karel van Mander as well as for his own modern translation, and includes prints, photos of paintings, sculpture, architecture and stained glass window cartoons to illustrate the text. He revisits old and publishes new archival evidence, though he regrets the lack of documentation on the early Netherlandish painters. The book is easy to read, but following notes can be difficult because the notes per "folio" of the original have pages of notes themselves, and the reader is often left to crack open three books at the same time to reference one painter biography. It is however the best reference for various aspects of the subject, and includes a concise description of the larger impact of the Dutch revolt
Dutch Revolt
The Dutch Revolt or the Revolt of the Netherlands This article adopts 1568 as the starting date of the war, as this was the year of the first battles between armies. However, since there is a long period of Protestant vs...

 in context on Karel van Mander's life and that of his contemporaries.

Historiographic background

The history of early Netherlandish painting was first described by Lodovico Guicciardini
Lodovico Guicciardini
Lodovico Guicciardini was an Italian writer and merchant from Florence, but who lived primarily in Antwerp. He was the nephew of historian and diplomat Francesco Guicciardini.-Description of the Low Countries:...

, who himself was a source for Vasari. That tradition took little account of the geographic topology of the Low countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....

 and the Van Eyck
Van Eyck
Van Eyck , also Van Eijk is a Dutch surname meaning "of Eyck" or "of Eijk"...

 brothers were considered the fathers of Netherlandish painting concentrated in Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....

. Karel van Mander intended to set this misconception straight by listing all of the famous early Netherlandish painters, but he met with many difficulties himself with obtaining accurate information, due to the political unrest.

"Safe" history

At the time van Mander was writing, the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...

 had officially taken place, but this did not mean that everything changed overnight. There was still a market for religious subjects, though this was quickly dying in favor of genre scenes and historical allegories. It became fashionable to depict politically correct subjects such as stories too old to be offensive to either protestants or catholics. Haarlem needed to reinvent itself after losing its attraction as a pilgrimage site for St. Bavo, and commissioned paintings to depict its glorious past in the story of its crusade against Damietta
Damietta
Damietta , also known as Damiata, or Domyat, is a port and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt. It is located at the intersection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile, about north of Cairo.-History:...

, which was the basis for the Haarlem city emblem. Artists and writers helped update the city's history, and van Mander complied with this new fashion by supplying a list of biographies of ancient painters in Lives of Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman painters.

Vasari's work on Italian painters

Vasari's work was already half a century old by the time van Mander published and for this reason he only translated about half of Vasari's biographical sketches, and he added Italian artists from his years in Italy, such as Tintoretto
Tintoretto
Tintoretto , real name Jacopo Comin, was a Venetian painter and a notable exponent of the Renaissance school. For his phenomenal energy in painting he was termed Il Furioso...

 who became known after Vasari's work was published. What follows is a list of Vasari sketches that van Mander did translate and include in his work:



van Mander's list of famous Netherlandish painters

Van Mander is less known for his translated work on Italian art, than he is for his biographical sketches of Netherlandish painters. What follows is his list of already famous painters from the low countries.


van Mander's list of important contemporary painters

This is a list of all of the painters alive and known to van Mander at the time he wrote his book. Paintings by painters of both lists were known by the Haarlem group of painters that van Mander consorted with.


  • Joachim Wtewael
    Joachim Wtewael
    Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael , was a notable Dutch painter and engraver.Wtewael was born and died in Utrecht, where he began his career engraving glass with his father...

     http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/mand001schi01_01/mand001schi01_01_0270.htm
  • Abraham Bloemaert
    Abraham Bloemaert
    Abraham Bloemaert was a Dutch painter and printmaker in etching and engraving. He was one of the "Haarlem Mannerists" from about 1585, but in the new century altered his style to fit new Baroque trends...

     http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/mand001schi01_01/mand001schi01_01_0271.htm
  • Pieter Cornelisz van Rijck
    Pieter Cornelisz van Rijck
    -Biography:According to Van Mander in 1604, he learned to draw from Jacob Willemsz Delff, but was meant for another profession, and spent time on other business for a few years before returning to the arts under the tutelage of Huybrecht Jacobsz Grimani for 6 months. He accompanied him to Italy,...

     http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/mand001schi01_01/mand001schi01_01_0272.htm
  • Francesco Badens http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/mand001schi01_01/mand001schi01_01_0273.htm
  • David Vinckboons
    David Vinckboons
    David Vinckboons was a Dutch Golden Age painter of Flemish origin.-Biography:Vinckboons was one of the most prolific and popular painters and print designers in the Netherlands...

     http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/mand001schi01_01/mand001schi01_01_0274.htm
  • Cornelis Floris de Vriendt
    Cornelis Floris de Vriendt
    Cornelis Floris de Vriendt was a Flemish Renaissance architect and sculptor. He played an important role in the building of the Antwerp City Hall. His brother was Frans Floris, for whom he designed a house in Antwerp.-External links:...

    , Paulus Moreelse
    Paulus Moreelse
    Paulus Moreelse was a Dutch painter, mainly of portraits.-Life:Moreelse was born and died in Utrecht. He was a pupil of the Delft portrait painter Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt, who had himself been a pupil of Anthonie van Blocklandt. He took a study-trip to Italy, where he received many portrait...

    , Michael Mierevelt, Frans de Grebber, Jacob Savery
    Jacob Savery
    -Biography:According to Van Mander in 1604, he was the best pupil of Hans Bol and taught his brother Roelant Savery and Frans de Grebber, then a promising young painter and tapestry worker in Haarlem, how to paint landscapes. He died of the plague in Amsterdam...

    , Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen
    Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen
    Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen was a Dutch Golden Age painter.-Biography:He was the son of a Haarlem captain, and drew, painted and etched with his friends Hendrick Goltzius and Cornelis van Haarlem. He also held important positions in the Haarlem Guild of St...

    , Barend
    Barend van Someren
    Barend van Someren , was a Dutch Golden Age painter.-Biography:According to Karel van Mander, he married and brought back the daughter of Aert Mijtens after he returned from Italy. He was a good painter who arranged his subjects well...

     and Paulus van Someren
    Paul van Somer I
    Paul van Somer , also known as Paulus van Somer, was a Flemish artist who arrived in England from Antwerp during the reign of King James I of England and became one of the leading painters of the royal court...

    , Cornelis van der Voort
    Cornelis van der Voort
    Cornelis van der Voort or van der Voorde was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter from the early 17th century.-Life:...

    , Everard Crynsz van der Maes, Jan Antonisz. van Ravesteyn, Aart Jansz Druyvesteyn
    Aart Jansz Druyvesteyn
    -Biography:According to Van Mander in 1604, he was a promising young landscape painter who came from a good family in Haarlem, and thus painted as a hobby, rather than professionally. According to Houbraken, who echoes Van Mander's comment that he became a good landscape painter, he became an elder...

    , Jacques de Mosscher, Thonis Ariaensz (Alkmaar), Claes Jacobsz van der Heck
    Claes Jacobsz van der Heck
    Claes Jacobsz van der Heck , was a Dutch Golden Age painter.-Biography:According to Karel van Mander he was a good painter, disciple of Jan Nagel , related to Maarten van Heemskerck, and specialized in landscapes.According to Houbraken who mentions that he was listed on the last page of the...

     (Alkmaar), Pieter Gerritsz Montfoort (Delft), Pieter Diericksen Cluyt (Delft) http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/mand001schi01_01/mand001schi01_01_0275.htm
  • Index of painters from Antiquity http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/mand001schi01_01/mand001schi01_01_0277.htm
  • Index of Italian painters http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/mand001schi01_01/mand001schi01_01_0278.htm
  • Index of Netherlandish painters http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/mand001schi01_01/mand001schi01_01_0279.htm
  • Joan Ariaensz van Leiden, and Hubert Tons van Rotterdam http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/mand001schi01_01/mand001schi01_01_0280.htm


van Mander's Ovid and explanation of figures

The version of Metamorphosis became quite popular and was sold as a separate book. The final book about figures list the various animals, birds and other objects that can have meaning for the painter to include in his arrangement. This book includes some pagan rituals for use in historical allegories. Included before the index to Metamorphosis, it is meant as an extra guide for that book.

Legacy

This book brought a glimpse of Italy to the artists of the Northern Netherlandss, and inspired many of them to travel to Italy, if not follow the book's instructions on Italian painting methods. The drawing school that van Mander founded based on this work, continued in Haarlem after him for centuries.

As an artist biographer, Van Mander was famously influential on the art writing of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Amongst others, Cornelis de Bie
Cornelis de Bie
Cornelis de Bie was a Brabant rederijker, poet, jurist and minor politician from Lier.He is the author of about 64 works, mostly comedies...

 (Gulden Cabinet, 1662), Joachim von Sandrart
Joachim von Sandrart
Joachim von Sandrart was a German Baroque art-historian and painter, active in Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age.-Biography:Sandrart was born in Frankfurt, but the family originated from Mons...

 (Teutsche Akademie, 1675), Filippo Baldinucci
Filippo Baldinucci
Filippo Baldinucci was an Italian art historian and biographer.-Life:Baldinucci is considered among the most significant Florentine biographers/historians of the artists and the arts of the Baroque period...

 (Notizie de' Professori, 1681), and Arnold Houbraken
Arnold Houbraken
Arnold Houbraken was a Dutch painter and writer from Dordrecht, now remembered mainly as a biographer of artists from the Dutch Golden Age. He had ten children. His son Jacobus Houbraken was an engraver of portraits and book illustrations, including books by his father...

 (Schouburg, 1718-20) used material from his Schilderboeck for their biographical sketches of Netherlandish painters. His book is still the most-cited primary source in biographical accounts of the lives of many artists from his lists, but of most interest to historians is his criticism of their work, especially when he describes the painting style, use of color, location and owner of the paintings, thus becoming a valuable source for art provenance
Provenance
Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", refers to the chronology of the ownership or location of an historical object. The term was originally mostly used for works of art, but is now used in similar senses in a wide range of fields, including science and computing...

.

The Schilder-boeck is listed in the Basic Library of the dbnl (Canon of Dutch Literature
Canon of Dutch Literature
The Canon of Dutch Literature comprises a list of 1000 works of Dutch Literature culturally important to Dutch Heritage, and is published on the DBNL. Several of these works are lists themselves; such as early dictionaries, lists of songs, recipes, biographies or encyclopedic compilations of...

) which contains the 1000 most important works in Dutch literature from the Middle Ages to today.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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