Hendrick van Steenwyck the Younger, 'The Courtyard of a Renaissance Palace', 1610
About the work
Overview
In the courtyard of this vast and palatial complex of buildings, a woman stands with her young servants. The bright red of her dress and the dark blue of her attendants’ outfits are echoed in the feathers of the parrot that is perched on the pedestal to the right. Two men seemingly demonstrate their devotion to the woman: one kisses the front of her dress while the other, down on one knee, presses his hand to his heart.
Such images appealed to sophisticated collectors throughout Europe, who appreciated the minute detail, clever spatial illusion and knowledgeable use of classical architectural motifs. The figures here were probably not painted by Steenwyck. He often collaborated with other artists – they worked on the figures while he painted the architecture and landscape.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A Man kneels before a Woman in the Courtyard of a Renaissance Palace
- Artist dates
- active by 1604; died 1649
- Date made
- 1610
- Medium and support
- oil on copper
- Dimensions
- 40.2 × 69.8 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed; Dated
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed Lt-Col. J.H. Ollney, 1837
- Inventory number
- NG141
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Gregory Martin, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Flemish School: circa 1600–circa 1900’, London 1986; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1986Martin, Gregory, National Gallery Catalogues: The Flemish School, circa 1600 - circa 1900, London 1986
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.