RKD STUDIES

Poems can also present problems. De groote schouburgh features a great many of them, written by numerous poets, most of them now forgotten. Both Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679) and Johannes Antonides van der Goes (1647-1684) are still well kown [1-2]. Readers should also know that when Houbraken refers to an unidentified ‘choice poet’ or ‘the great Agrippian’, he intends Van den Vondel, whereas the ‘Amstelstroom writer’ or ‘Ystroom writer’ is Van der Goes. In one instance, Houbraken quotes an eloquent fragment from De Ystroom without giving the poet credit.¹ In the case of the two most famous poets of antiquity, Houbraken refers to Virgil as Maro (for Publius Vergilius Maro) and to Ovid as Naso (for Publius Ovidius Naso), or to. A less well-known example is Petrus Scriverius (1576-1660) [3], whom Houbraken calls Pieter Schryver by his more humble Dutch moniker. In addition there are Caspar van Baerle or Barleus (1584-1648) [4], Joan Leonardsz Blasius (1639-1707), Nicolaas van Brakel (dates unknown), Joan van Broekhuizen (1649-1707) [5], Harmanus van den Burg (1682-1752) [6], Willem Jacobsz. van Heemskerk (1613-1692) [7], Willem van der Hoeven (1653-1727), David van Hoogstraten (1658-1724, Ludolf Smids (1649-1720) [8] and Jan Vos (c. 1610-1667) [9].² There is also the poetry as translated by the likes of Arnold Hoogvliet (1687-1763) [10], Arnold Moonen (1644-1711) [11], Andries Pels (1631-1681) [12] and Joannes Vollenhove (1631-1708) [13]. The rhyme and quality of their poems have presumably been lost in translation. It is clear, however, that poetry was much more important for Houbraken’s readers than it is for us. That it was an important selling feature of De groote Schouburgh is established by an anonymous and appreciative review of Part I, published in April of 1718.³

3
Pieter Schenk (I)
Portrait of Ludolf Smids (1649-1720)
The Hague, RKD – Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis (Collectie Iconografisch Bureau)

In a class of its own are six lines in praise of Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606-1684) and his unrivalled ability to make gold and silver look like the real thing.⁴ What is highly unusual is that Houbraken is silent about his source, which was a poem by the now obscure Arnold Nachtegael Klemens (1694-after 1729) found in his Mengeldichten (Mixed Poetry), which first came out in 1726.⁵ Obviously this was well after Houbraken’s death, but when we consult Nachtegael Klemens we find 1716 written in Roman numerals below the poem, which was presumably the original publication date. Even then we still don’t know where Houbraken found the poem. We must consider, however, that he did not identify the author of a poem on at least ten other occasions. Most important is a long poem which closes the short biography of Peter Snayers (1592-1667).⁶ Another two items concern still lifes by Pieter van der Willigen (1634-1694) and a third accompanies a pastoral landscape by Jacques d’Arthois (1613-1686).⁷ Two more short examples crop up in the biographies of Andries Both (1611/2-1642) and his brother Jan (1615/22-1652),⁸ Joannes Fijt (1611-1661), Peter Thijs (1624-1677), and Nicolaes Maes (1634-1693) garner one anonymous poem each.⁹ Finally, a set of three items (one of them only two lines long) grace the Life of Jan de Baen (1633-1702).¹⁰

A splendid example occurs when Houbraken sums up those who have written poetry in praise of the scissor art of Johanna Koerten (1650-1715): ‘In addition to those whose names have already been mentioned, there were Kaspar and Jan Brant, the Feitamaas, J.B. Wellekens, A. Bogaert, C. Bruin, Professor A. Reelant, and others too many to name’.¹¹ To locate these worthies online one needs to look under Caspar Brandt (1653-1696) [14], Joannes Brandt (1660-1708), Jan Baptist Wellekens (1658-1726), Abraham Bogaert (1683-1727) [15], Claas Bruin (1671-1732) [16] and Adriaan Reeland (1676-1718) [17]. The Feitamas, who were also truly important art collectors, were Sybrand I (1620-1701) and his sons Isaac (1666-1709) and Eduard (1662-1737).¹² In his short Life of Joris Cornelisz. van der Hagen (1676-1735), whom he calls J. van Hagen, Houbraken identifies the accommodating collector of this artist’s drawings as Eduard.¹³ As for Gezine Brit (c. 1699-1749), Houbraken devotes nine pages to an integral quotation of her poem Koridon, which sings the praise of Koerten.¹⁴

Houbraken can also be remarkably uneven. For instance, with three elegies by Willem van der Hoeven in connection with Melchior d’Hondecoeter (1635/6-1695), Gerard de Lairesse (1641-1711) and Jacob de Heusch (1656-1701),¹⁵ only the one dedicated to De Lairesse is documented.¹⁶ In general Houbraken’s presentation of his heterogeneous material is far from immaculate. Names, for instance, may be misspelled, so that Arnold Moonen (1644-1711) becomes A. Monen.¹⁷ Nor does an accurate title guarantee a correct author. Thus the Mengelpoëzy by H. van den Borg¹⁸ turns out to be by Hermanus van den Burg (1682-1752). Finally all Houbraken’s transcriptions of Vondel and other poets should be checked. For instance, in a quotation from Antonides van der Goes’ ‘Zege der schilderkunst’ (‘schilderkonst’ according to Houbraken), we find ‘smoort’ (smothers) changed into ‘vermoeit’ (fatigues).¹⁹ The curiosity in this instance is that Van der Goes makes sense and Houbraken does not. In the case of prolific poets, notably Vondel but also Jan Vos, unidentified poems can truly be needles in haystacks of publications. In addition references by Vondel and others to baffling names need to be traced to identify someone such as ‘Noyen’²⁰ as the forgotten poet Ernst Noyen (fl. 1628-1659). Such detailed research will have to await a Houbraken corpus or specialized publications.

Houbraken was himself an accomplished poet, as we learn at once from his lengthy introductory poem to Part I of De groote schouburgh. In addition several other poems are certainly by his hand. There is a short poem that compares Johannes Torrentius (1588-1644) to the Greek arsonist Herostratos,²¹ for which he explicitly takes credit. A longer poem of his describes the subject matter of the paintings of Adriaen Brouwer (1603/5-1638).²² Houbraken also thrice quotes poetry from his still unpublished emblem book.²³ A substantial poem of his closes the brief Life of Anthony Vreem (1656-1681), whereas an eight-line item is enclosed in the Life of Adriaen van der Werff (1659-1722).²⁴ Finally a poem filling most of two pages, which is dedicated to Flora and the field nymphs as inviting pastoral subject matter, would also appear to be by the biographer.²⁵ It therefore seems likely that he wrote some of the anonymous items as well.

As a closing consideration Houbraken may quote a poem which contradicts his text. That, for instance, is the case with a poem underneath a portrait of Anna Maria van Schurman (1607-1678) which was engraved by Jan van Munnickhuysen (c. 1655-after 1701) [18]. Where Houbraken presents her conversion to ‘the Labadist zealotry’ as an unmitigated disaster, the anonymous poet presents it as the glorious culmination of her life.²⁶

Here you see the noble maid, called matchless,
Before she chose a better lot over worldly praise.
She was as if composed of wisdom, spirit and virtue:
Art, languages, scholarship, learning, honour,
She gladly lays before Christ’s feet.

The question is whether Houbraken intended to be ironic or whether, ever unselective, he simply included the poem because he had come across it.

14
Jacob Houbraken after Michiel van Musscher
Portrait of Caspar Brandt (1653-1696)
The Hague, RKD – Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis (Collectie Iconografisch Bureau)

15
Nicolaas Verkolje
Portrait of Abraham Bogaert (1663-1727), dated 1720
Haarlem, Teylers Museum

16
Jan Maurits Quinkhard after Norbert van Bloemen
Portrait of Claas Bruin (1671-1732), c. 1733
Haarlem, Teylers Museum, inv./cat.nr. pp207

17
attributed to Johan George Colasius
Portrait of Adriaan Reeland (1676-1718), before 1711
Utrecht, Universiteit Utrecht

18
Jan van Munnickhuysen possibly after David van der Plas published by Jacob van de Velde (uitgever)
Portrait of Anna Maria van Schurman (1607-1678)
The Hague, RKD – Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis (Collectie Iconografisch Bureau)