The Procuress (Dirck van Baburen)
Encyclopedia
The Procuress icon is the name given to a painting by the Dutch "Golden Age"
painter Dirck van Baburen
, of which several copies exist. The painting is in the Caravaggiesque
style of the Utrecht school.
One copy of the painting was owned by Maria Thins
, mother-in-law of Johannes Vermeer
, who reproduced it in the background of two of his own paintings. A copy owned by the Courtauld Institute in London has been identified as the work of the forger, Han van Meegeren
. This was featured in the third episode of the BBC TV series, Fake or Fortune?
.
. The painting is an example of the popular genre known as Bordeeltjes, or brothel scenes. The cropped, close-up figures close to the picture plane
against a flat blank background are typical of Utrecht Caravaggism.
There are at least three versions of the painting - one in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, one in Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
and one owned by the Courtauld Institute. The versions in the Rijksmuseum and the Museum of Fine Art are attributed to Dirck van Baburen
or his studio.
One of these paintings was owned by Vermeer's mother-in-law and it may have been an influence on one of his own early paintings on a similar subject, also known as The Procuress
(1656). It also appears in the background of two of Vermeer's later paintings, The Concert
(c.1664) and Lady Seated at a Virginal
(c.1670). In both of these later paintings the blatant lust depicted by Baburen is contrasted with the genteel, but erotically charged, middle-class world occupied by Vermeer's women. The contrast between the images may also imply "a more general association between music and love". Vermeer sets up a series of contrasts between his own delicate, restrained style and Baburen's vulgar realism. According to Michael Wayne Cole and Mary Pardo this represents Vermeer's own move away from such low-life subjects. The older, cruder style of Baburen is relegated to the background, "eclipsing it with the more modern kind of genteel subject that Vermeer would soon paint exclusively".
and Fiona Bruce
traveled to Amsterdam where they obtained samples of the paints used by van Meegeren. These included an artificial resin which turned out to be Bakelite. The use of Bakelite had the effect of hardening the paint and thus making it difficult to detect that it was new. Chemical analysis showed Bakelite in the Courtauld painting, thus confirming that it was a modern forgery. Van Meegeren is the only forger known to have used this technique, so the painting was attributed to him. It was probably intended to be used as a prop in Vermeer forgeries. Ironically, it is more valuable as a van Meegeren forgery than as a 17th century studio copy.
Dutch Golden Age painting
Dutch Golden Age painting is the painting of the Dutch Golden Age, a period in Dutch history generally spanning the 17th century, during and after the later part of the Eighty Years War for Dutch independence. The new Dutch Republic was the most prosperous nation in Europe, and led European trade,...
painter Dirck van Baburen
Dirck van Baburen
Dirck Jaspersz. van Baburen was a Dutch painter associated with the Utrecht Caravaggisti.-Biography:Dirck van Baburen was probably born in Wijk bij Duurstede, but his family moved to Utrecht when he was still young. He was also known as Teodoer van Baburen and Theodor Baburen...
, of which several copies exist. The painting is in the Caravaggiesque
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. His paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, had a formative influence on the Baroque...
style of the Utrecht school.
One copy of the painting was owned by Maria Thins
Maria Thins
Maria Thins was the mother-in-law of Johannes Vermeer and a member of the Gouda Thins family .-Life:...
, mother-in-law of Johannes Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer
Johannes, Jan or Johan Vermeer was a Dutch painter who specialized in exquisite, domestic interior scenes of middle class life. Vermeer was a moderately successful provincial genre painter in his lifetime...
, who reproduced it in the background of two of his own paintings. A copy owned by the Courtauld Institute in London has been identified as the work of the forger, Han van Meegeren
Han van Meegeren
Han van Meegeren , born Henricus Antonius van Meegeren, was a Dutch painter and portraitist, and is considered to be one of the most ingenious art forgers of the 20th century....
. This was featured in the third episode of the BBC TV series, Fake or Fortune?
Fake or Fortune?
Fake or Fortune? is a 2011 BBC television series which examines the provenance of notable artworks. It is presented by journalist Fiona Bruce and art dealer and art historian Philip Mould.There are four episodes:...
.
The painting
The painting shows three figures, a prostitute on the left, the client in the middle and the procuress on the right pointing to her palm to indicate that she is expecting payment. The client is holding a coin between his fingers as he puts his arm around the prostitute, who is playing a luteLute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
. The painting is an example of the popular genre known as Bordeeltjes, or brothel scenes. The cropped, close-up figures close to the picture plane
Picture plane
A picture plane is the imaginary flat surface which is usually located between the station point and the object being viewed and is ordinarily a vertical plane perpendicular to the horizontal projection of the line of sight to the object's order of interest....
against a flat blank background are typical of Utrecht Caravaggism.
There are at least three versions of the painting - one in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, one in Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
and one owned by the Courtauld Institute. The versions in the Rijksmuseum and the Museum of Fine Art are attributed to Dirck van Baburen
Dirck van Baburen
Dirck Jaspersz. van Baburen was a Dutch painter associated with the Utrecht Caravaggisti.-Biography:Dirck van Baburen was probably born in Wijk bij Duurstede, but his family moved to Utrecht when he was still young. He was also known as Teodoer van Baburen and Theodor Baburen...
or his studio.
Vermeer
The Procuress (Vermeer)
The Procuress is a 1656 oil-on-canvas painting by Jan Vermeer. It shows a genre scene in a brothel - one of the two women is the eponymous procuress, while the figure on the left has been identified by some as a self portrait of the artist...
(1656). It also appears in the background of two of Vermeer's later paintings, The Concert
The Concert (Vermeer)
The Concert is a painting by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. The 69 centimeter high by 63 centimeter wide picture depicts a man and two women playing music. It belongs to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, but was stolen in March 1990 and remains missing to this day...
(c.1664) and Lady Seated at a Virginal
Lady Seated at a Virginal
Lady Seated at a Virginal, also known as Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, is a genre painting created by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer in about 1670-1672 and now in the National Gallery, London....
(c.1670). In both of these later paintings the blatant lust depicted by Baburen is contrasted with the genteel, but erotically charged, middle-class world occupied by Vermeer's women. The contrast between the images may also imply "a more general association between music and love". Vermeer sets up a series of contrasts between his own delicate, restrained style and Baburen's vulgar realism. According to Michael Wayne Cole and Mary Pardo this represents Vermeer's own move away from such low-life subjects. The older, cruder style of Baburen is relegated to the background, "eclipsing it with the more modern kind of genteel subject that Vermeer would soon paint exclusively".
The Courtauld Institute version
In 1960, Geoffrey Webb presented a version of the painting to the Courtauld Institute. At the end of the war, he had been an allied officer in Europe investigating art works looted by the Nazis. He believed it was a fake, painted by van Meegeren, and presented it to the Courtauld as such. However, van Meegeren claimed that the painting had been bought in an antique shop by his wife. Although initially believed to be a fake, the authenticity remained controversial and in 2009, a scientific study indicated that the painting was likely to be genuine, as no modern pigments were found. A spokesperson for the gallery stated that they were "surprised" by the results, but that the evidence indicated that it was "likely to be a 17th-century painting". Following this, the BBC TV programme Fake or Fortune conducted a further investigation. The resulting film was first shown July 2011. Philip MouldPhilip Mould
Philip Mould OBE is an English art dealer and art historian, specialising in British portraits.-Biography:Mould has made a number of art discoveries, particularly in the works of Thomas Gainsborough, and Tudor portraiture...
and Fiona Bruce
Fiona Bruce
Fiona Elizabeth Bruce is a British journalist, newsreader and television presenter. Since joining the BBC in 1989, she has gone on to present many flagship programmes for the corporation including the BBC News at Six, BBC News at Ten, Crimewatch, Call My Bluff and, most recently, Antiques Roadshow...
traveled to Amsterdam where they obtained samples of the paints used by van Meegeren. These included an artificial resin which turned out to be Bakelite. The use of Bakelite had the effect of hardening the paint and thus making it difficult to detect that it was new. Chemical analysis showed Bakelite in the Courtauld painting, thus confirming that it was a modern forgery. Van Meegeren is the only forger known to have used this technique, so the painting was attributed to him. It was probably intended to be used as a prop in Vermeer forgeries. Ironically, it is more valuable as a van Meegeren forgery than as a 17th century studio copy.