A Boy Blowing on a Firebrand
Om maleriet
Depictions like this one of a boy blowing on a burning ember were popular among European painters studying illumination. Artists like Michelangelo and El Greco used this subject to showcase their skills at imitating nature, particularly the fleeting reflections of firelight. After spending several successful years working in Rome, Gerrit van Honthorst brought this theme back with him to the Netherlands, where it was appreciated by sophisticated collectors who recognized its origins in an ancient Roman text.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Oplysninger
- Inventarnummer
- 2018.135
Imens i livet hos Gerard van Honthorst
Hele livetc. 1610 – 1620
At the palace of Marquis Giustiniani in Rome
In Rome Honthorst lodged at the palace of Marquis Vincenzo Giustiniani, where he painted “Christ Before the High Priest” (now in the National Gallery, London), and under Caravaggio's influence took up night scenes lit by a hidden artificial source. Italian documents of his day call him “Gherardo Fiammingo” or “Gherardo Hollandese”: the nickname “Gherardo delle Notti” came into use only in the 18th century.
c. 1610 – 1620
Commissions from Cardinal Scipione Borghese
Cardinal Scipione Borghese became another important patron, securing him commissions at San Silvestro in Monte Compatri and Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. The artist also worked for Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.
1620
Returns to Utrecht
Back in Utrecht, Honthorst built a considerable reputation at home and abroad: Sir Dudley Carleton, the English envoy at The Hague, recommended his work to the Earl of Arundel, and his work impressed the young Rembrandt and Frans Hals.
1622
The Guild of St. Luke and a drawing academy
Honthorst was admitted to the Guild of St. Luke and the same year opened a drawing academy in Utrecht, in fact a small studio for visiting pupils. According to Joachim von Sandrart, his pupil in the mid-1620s, the master taught about 24 students at a time, each paying 100 guilders a year.
1623
Marries and heads the Guild of St. Luke
