Articles by Marieke van Wamel
Jheronimus Bosch. His workshop and his followers, 2023
Bosch’s Ecce Homo (ca. 1475-1485) is a fascinating work, not in the least because it contains a s... more Bosch’s Ecce Homo (ca. 1475-1485) is a fascinating work, not in the least because it contains a substantial number of devotional portraits. Before they were overpainted, the portraits of the fifteen family members filled the better part of the lower half of the painting. When the orants on the Bosch’s principaal were no longer visible, their absence left the composition unbalanced. The several artists who copied the work had to deal with this problem, even those who had never seen it or had no knowledge of the original composition. In this paper I discuss the solutions several artists came up with to ‘fill the void’. The location of one of the most interesting copies was long unknown, but fortunately the work resurfaced in 2017. It is now in a private collection in Belgium and has been studied and photographed. A dendrochronological analysis was made by Peter Klein. In this paper I focus especially on this ‘lost copy’ and the information it provides, about both the principaal as well as the practice of copying in the sixteenth century.
Desipientia, kunsthistorisch tijdschrift. 28, no 2, 2021
Een overzicht van de mogelijkheden van een kostuumhistorische benadering bij het onderzoek naar o... more Een overzicht van de mogelijkheden van een kostuumhistorische benadering bij het onderzoek naar opdrachtgevers van zestiende-eeuwse schilderijen.
Simiolus. Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art, 42-1/2, pp. 37-44, 2020
In 1982, the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown acquired a portrait of a bearded man, attributed... more In 1982, the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown acquired a portrait of a bearded man, attributed to Jan Cornelisz. Vermeyen (c. 1500 - c. 1559). Since 1942, the sitter had consistently been identified as Felipe de Guevara. Even though the portrait has been used in many publications on Felipe de Guevara, the work itself has received little attention. However there are several indications that the man portrayed cannot be this Flemish-Spanish humanist. For a more credible identification of the sitter, we need to look in a different direction; the subject of the portrait is most likely the Austrian commander Wilhelm von Roggendorf.
Kunstlicht, Oct 2015
Hieronymus Bosch has one of the most clearly defined personae among artists of the early modern p... more Hieronymus Bosch has one of the most clearly defined personae among artists of the early modern period. Many perceive the painter to be an isolated eccentric, haunted by visions. This image has been reinforced by a number of present day publications. Yet the persona of Bosch has been largely based on a single element of his oeuvre: his depiction of visions of Hell, demons, and devils. The emphasis on this theme began soon after his death in 1516, and developed during the 16th and early 17th centuries. This narrow focus, however, does not consider the fact that Bosch worked in an established tradition of iconography and workshop practice. He was highly successful, and his international clientele was part of the highest echelons of society. Taking this into account, this article focuses on how the persona of Bosch originated, and why this image has been so persistent over the centuries.
Oud Holland, Oct 2014
Wandering around the artworks in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, many a Dutch visitor has likely b... more Wandering around the artworks in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, many a Dutch visitor has likely been surprised to discover that the great artist Antonio Moro (1516/1519-1574), in fact named Anthonis Mor van Dashorst, was born and raised in the Dutch city of Utrecht. He is by many considered to be the greatest portraitist of his time and his name was important enough to be engraved in the façade of the Museo del Prado, side-by-side with Holbein and Rubens (fig.i). However, contrary to his status abroad, Anthonis Mor and his work are little-known to the Dutch general public. Although he is recognised by Dutch art historians as an important portraitist, Mor has rarely been the subject of Dutch research or publications. His case can be seen as representative of the conse quences which derived from the formation of the Dutch national identity. This identity took shape in the course of several centuries, but one of the main issues in its formation has been the problematic position of the Spanish involvement in the Netherlandish society in the period preceding the Dutch Revolt (1568-1648). It is deeply rooted in the Dutch culture to regard the Spanish presence almost exclusively as an external and oppres sive force, part of the tradition also known as the leyenda negra (black legend).1 As late as 1959 Jan Brans remarked, when mentioning Philip's II reputation; 'Even in the case of most art historians one feels the shadow of this image when they speak about Anton Moor and Willem Key'.1 Discussed in the following pages is the question of how Netherlandish artists with Spanish connections were perceived in literature on art during the different phases in which the Dutch national identity was formed. Some clarification is needed for the two terms, Netherlandish and Dutch, which are used with regard to the Netherlands. Netherlandish refers to the period before the Revolt and to the Southern as well as the Northern Netherlands. Dutch refers to the Northern Netherlands after the Revolt: the Republic of the Seven United Provinces, The Batavian Republic and the (United) Kingdom of the Netherlands. With the risk of causing confusion at times, this distinction is necessary to prevent even more confusing anachronisms; naming Mor a Dutch artist, for instance. At the end of the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth century-during and after the Dutch Revolt-the distinct need was felt to define a Dutch national identity. The focus of the first part of this article will be on the artist biographies from this period. A following (re)defining of the national identity took place in the nineteenth century-after the French Batavian period (1795-1813)-, the literature ofwhich shall be discussed in the second half of the article. Jochen Becker, in his article 'Zoo praalt ook Neerlands maagd in de achtbre rei der kunsten', describes how in the seventeenth as well as in the nineteenth century cultural politics were used to create a national identity.3 In both cases the new Dutch nationrespectively the Republic of the Seven United Provinces and the United Kingdom of the Netherlands-had to find a position amongst more established and larger European 49 Oud Holland 2014 volume 127-2/3
Fragmena, vol. 5, Art and Knowledge in Rome and the Early Modern Republic of Letters, 1500-1750, Jul 2014
This chapter compares two sixteenth-century treatises on the nature of painting; De la Pintura A... more This chapter compares two sixteenth-century treatises on the nature of painting; De la Pintura Antigua (1548-49) by Francisco de Holanda and Comentarios de la Pintura (1560) by Felipe de Guevara., Although both treatises represent contemporary Iberian ideas on painting, the two authors' ideas were shaped differently by the particular artistic discourse and cultural context of Italy and the Netherlands respectively. De Holanda's and De Guevara's considerations about the defining factors of the art of painting were furthermore determined by their diverging backgrounds as a court painter and collector.
Books by Marieke van Wamel
Opdrachtgevers en vroege eigenaren van het werk van Jheronimus Bosch, 2021
Hieronymus Bosch was also a celebrated painter in his own time. The patrons and first owners of h... more Hieronymus Bosch was also a celebrated painter in his own time. The patrons and first owners of his paintings were part of the social and cultural elite of the late fifteenth and sixteenth century society. Some of them were portrayed by Bosch on the works they ordered from him; from others we only know that they were interested in his art. It is striking that many of the lovers of Bosch's artworks were in contact with each other, in one way or another. Who were these persons, and how did they relate to each other? And how did they come into contact with the painter Bosch and his work? This research presents an overview of this influential group of burghers, clerics and nobles, who made a significant contribution to the spread of Hieronymus Bosch's fame and his work in Europe.
in: M. Ilsink, B. de Klerck en A.Willemsen (ed.), Het einde van de Middeleeuwen. Vijftig kunstwer... more in: M. Ilsink, B. de Klerck en A.Willemsen (ed.), Het einde van de Middeleeuwen. Vijftig kunstwerken uit de tijd van Bosch en Erasmus, pp. 280-285.
In de kunst-en cultuurgeschiedenis van Noord-Europa hebben de late 15de en vroege 16de eeuw altijd bijzonder tot de verbeelding gesproken. Tot op de dag van vandaag wordt erover gediscussieerd of die een laatste fase van de middeleeuwen zijn of een vroege manifestatie van een internationale renaissance. Juist het gevoel te maken te hebben met een overgangsperiode maakt deze tijd zo fascinerend. In dit boek bespreken vijftig kenners vijftig kunstobjecten in de historische context van dit 'herfsttij', soms ook met aandacht voor hun voortleven en receptie in later tijd. Deze miniaturen hebben steeds één kunstwerk als onderwerp, wat uitnodigt tot gras-duinen in een schat aan thema's, wetenswaardigheden en benaderingswijzen. Maar ook biedt dit rijk geïllus-treerde boek een prachtig mozaïek van recente inzichten in de schilderkunst en sculptuur, teken-en prent-kunst, architectuur en toegepaste kunst uit de tijd van Jheronimus Bosch en Desiderius Erasmus. Dit boek verschijnt naar aanleiding van het afscheid, in juni 2019, van prof.dr Jos Koldeweij als hoogleraar Kunstgeschiedenis van de middeleeuwen en de vroegchristelijke tijd aan de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen.
in S. Dekkers & J. van Baren-Nawrocka (Eds.), Wetenschappelijke doorbraken de klas in! Malaria, J... more in S. Dekkers & J. van Baren-Nawrocka (Eds.), Wetenschappelijke doorbraken de klas in! Malaria, Jheronimus Bosch en Geheugen (Wetenschappelijke doorbraken de klas in!, Deel 7) (pp. 122-167). Nijmegen: Wetenschapsknooppunt Radboud Universiteit
‘The Patron in the Picture. Bosch and his Donor Portraits’, in: Jo Timmermans, Ron Spronk, Jos K... more ‘The Patron in the Picture. Bosch and his Donor Portraits’, in: Jo Timmermans, Ron Spronk, Jos Koldeweij et al. (eds.), Jheronimus Bosch: His Life and his Work . Proceedings 3rd International 4th Jheronimus Bosch Conference, 14-16 April 2016. ’s-Hertogenbosch: 2016, pp. 408-423.
Catalogue exhibition FACES THEN - Renaissanceportretten uit de Lage Landen, BOZAR Brussel.
Essay... more Catalogue exhibition FACES THEN - Renaissanceportretten uit de Lage Landen, BOZAR Brussel.
Essay: "De functie van het portret" pp. 58-69 and the entries on Anthonis Mor "Self-portrait", "Portrait of Jan van Scorel" and "Portrait of a Married Woman" (pp. 152-157).
Chapter: 'Aficionados y compradores'. The sixteenth-century Spanish collectors of paintings by Jh... more Chapter: 'Aficionados y compradores'. The sixteenth-century Spanish collectors of paintings by Jheronimus Bosch in the Netherlands.
How were Early Modern artists, from Michelangelo to Piranesi, engaged in the produ... more How were Early Modern artists, from Michelangelo to Piranesi, engaged in the production, diffusion, and reception of knowledge? In this book, sixteen chapters explore painters and architects as agents in a European network of communication that involved texts, images, and material culture. The metaphor of the Republic of Letters illuminates exchanges between the cultural centre of Rome and different European peripheries. The role of the Low Countries stands out, which gave rise to a variety of innovations, from the first studies of the Early Christian Catacombs, to new reproductive techniques for ‘paper museums’, and seminal interest in Egyptian antiquities.
Papers by Marieke van Wamel
Fragmenta, 2011
This chapter compares two sixteenth-century treatises on painting, Da pintura antiga / Do tirar p... more This chapter compares two sixteenth-century treatises on painting, Da pintura antiga / Do tirar polo natural (1548-1549) by Francisco de Holanda and Comentarios de la pintura y pintores antiguos (c. 1560) by Felipe de Guevara. Although both treatises represented contemporary Iberian ideas on painting, the two authors’ ideas were shaped differently by the particular artistic discourse and cultural context of Italy and the Netherlands respectively. De Holanda’s and De Guevara’s considerations about the defining factors of the art of painting were furthermore determined by their diverging backgrounds as court painter and collector.
Oud Holland - Quarterly for Dutch Art History, 2014
Universiteit van Amsterdam, thesis Researchmaster, Jun 2011
The central question in this research is how the position of Anthonis Mor as a painter at the Hab... more The central question in this research is how the position of Anthonis Mor as a painter at the Habsburg court is described in the literature. Little contemporary information or documentation has remained about Mor. As a consequence all of the literature refers to the same limited information.
Book Reviews by Marieke van Wamel
Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis, 2019
in: Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis, Volume 132, 1, May 2019 , pp 137-138.
Review of: Daan van Hees... more in: Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis, Volume 132, 1, May 2019 , pp 137-138.
Review of: Daan van Heesch, Robrecht Jansen en Jan van der Stock (ed.) Netherlandish art and luxury goods in renaissance Spain (Breepols: Turnhout, 2018)- ISBN 9781909400825
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Articles by Marieke van Wamel
Books by Marieke van Wamel
In de kunst-en cultuurgeschiedenis van Noord-Europa hebben de late 15de en vroege 16de eeuw altijd bijzonder tot de verbeelding gesproken. Tot op de dag van vandaag wordt erover gediscussieerd of die een laatste fase van de middeleeuwen zijn of een vroege manifestatie van een internationale renaissance. Juist het gevoel te maken te hebben met een overgangsperiode maakt deze tijd zo fascinerend. In dit boek bespreken vijftig kenners vijftig kunstobjecten in de historische context van dit 'herfsttij', soms ook met aandacht voor hun voortleven en receptie in later tijd. Deze miniaturen hebben steeds één kunstwerk als onderwerp, wat uitnodigt tot gras-duinen in een schat aan thema's, wetenswaardigheden en benaderingswijzen. Maar ook biedt dit rijk geïllus-treerde boek een prachtig mozaïek van recente inzichten in de schilderkunst en sculptuur, teken-en prent-kunst, architectuur en toegepaste kunst uit de tijd van Jheronimus Bosch en Desiderius Erasmus. Dit boek verschijnt naar aanleiding van het afscheid, in juni 2019, van prof.dr Jos Koldeweij als hoogleraar Kunstgeschiedenis van de middeleeuwen en de vroegchristelijke tijd aan de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen.
Essay: "De functie van het portret" pp. 58-69 and the entries on Anthonis Mor "Self-portrait", "Portrait of Jan van Scorel" and "Portrait of a Married Woman" (pp. 152-157).
Papers by Marieke van Wamel
Book Reviews by Marieke van Wamel
Review of: Daan van Heesch, Robrecht Jansen en Jan van der Stock (ed.) Netherlandish art and luxury goods in renaissance Spain (Breepols: Turnhout, 2018)- ISBN 9781909400825
In de kunst-en cultuurgeschiedenis van Noord-Europa hebben de late 15de en vroege 16de eeuw altijd bijzonder tot de verbeelding gesproken. Tot op de dag van vandaag wordt erover gediscussieerd of die een laatste fase van de middeleeuwen zijn of een vroege manifestatie van een internationale renaissance. Juist het gevoel te maken te hebben met een overgangsperiode maakt deze tijd zo fascinerend. In dit boek bespreken vijftig kenners vijftig kunstobjecten in de historische context van dit 'herfsttij', soms ook met aandacht voor hun voortleven en receptie in later tijd. Deze miniaturen hebben steeds één kunstwerk als onderwerp, wat uitnodigt tot gras-duinen in een schat aan thema's, wetenswaardigheden en benaderingswijzen. Maar ook biedt dit rijk geïllus-treerde boek een prachtig mozaïek van recente inzichten in de schilderkunst en sculptuur, teken-en prent-kunst, architectuur en toegepaste kunst uit de tijd van Jheronimus Bosch en Desiderius Erasmus. Dit boek verschijnt naar aanleiding van het afscheid, in juni 2019, van prof.dr Jos Koldeweij als hoogleraar Kunstgeschiedenis van de middeleeuwen en de vroegchristelijke tijd aan de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen.
Essay: "De functie van het portret" pp. 58-69 and the entries on Anthonis Mor "Self-portrait", "Portrait of Jan van Scorel" and "Portrait of a Married Woman" (pp. 152-157).
Review of: Daan van Heesch, Robrecht Jansen en Jan van der Stock (ed.) Netherlandish art and luxury goods in renaissance Spain (Breepols: Turnhout, 2018)- ISBN 9781909400825
Presentation 2. A comparison between the treatises by Francisco de Holanda and Felipe de Guevara.