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XVIIe & XVIIIe Dutch, Flemish, French, German and Italian Master Paintings |
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Leyde, 1640 – Leyde, 1719
A musical company
Oil on canvas
Signed at lower left:
“ J. Toor [...]”
48,5 x 64,5 cm
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| Jacob TOORENVLIET Leyde, 1640 – Leyde, 1719 A musical company Oil on canvas Signed at lower left: “ J. Toor [...]” 48,5 x 64,5 cm |
| Jacob Toorenvliet was initially taught in the studio of his father, Abraham Toorenvliet, and probably then continued his apprenticeship with Gerard Dou, whose technique of painting figures, compositions and small formats had a lasting influence on Toorenvliet. He travelled to Italy in 1670, staying first in Rome, then in Venice, where he married. He then moved to Vienna where he stayed for five years, before returning to Holland in 1679. He worked in Amsterdam from 1680 to 1686, before moving back to the town of his birth, Leiden where he became a member of the painters guild. Together with Willem van Mieris and Carel de Moor, he founded the Tekenakademie (Academy of draughtsmen) where Toorenvliet taught until 1702. Besides a few portraits and history paintings, his work is essentially composed of small genre paintings. Making music and singing was immensely popular among Dutch upper class families at the end of the seventeenth century, as shown in this painting. The viola da gamba, the harpsichord, the violin and the lute painted here by Toorenvliet, accompany the singers. Unlike many contemporary paintings figuring groups of musicians of dishevelled appearance, this work portrays an unusually gentle, relaxed atmosphere; the innocence of these musical pleasures suggest the harmony that reigns in this family circle. The figures’ clothes allow us to date the painting to around 1700, so it must have been one of Toorenvliet’s last compositions. The piece is very well balanced; the refined colours contrast with the clothing and the concentrated expressions of the musicians, lost in the music. The result is an atmosphere of enchantment, typical of Toorenvliet’s work. We wish to express our gratitude to Suzanne H. Karau, who confirmed the attribution of this painting to Jacob Toorenvliet, and for her help in writing this catalogue entry. This painting will be included in Suzanne H. Karau’s, Der Leidener Maler Jacob Toorenvliet (1640-1719) [Theses of the Freie Universität Berlin]. |
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