From the Library: The Book Illustrations by Romeyn de Hooghe
September 20, 2014 – January 25, 2015 West Building, Ground Floor, G-21
Romeyn de Hooghe, engraving in Govard Bidloo, Komste van Zyne Majesteit Willem III. Koning van Groot Britanje, enz. in Holland, The Hague, 1691, National Gallery of Art Library, David K. E. Bruce Fund
This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery.
Overview:Artistically gifted and socially well connected, Romeyn de Hooghe (1645–1708) can help us to unravel the complexities of the late Dutch Golden Age, particularly through his vast and varied oeuvre of book illustrations. At a time when the Dutch Republic enjoyed great wealth and colonial expansion while also becoming embroiled in often tense interactions with its European neighbors, de Hooghe was commissioned for all manner of book projects. He provided etchings and decorative frontispieces for scholarly works, such as emblem books, histories, and works of literature, many of which he also authored; he illustrated works of piety, cartography, and festival books; and he published, sometimes anonymously, political satire and commentary. De Hooghe was involved in all aspects of late seventeenth-century life. Though we do not know where he studied, this prolific artist was certainly influenced by the work of Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), and in turn he influenced many printmakers and illustrators of the early eighteenth century. Yet despite this influence and his powerful connections with the House of Orange, de Hooghe was largely forgotten until the late nineteenth century, and only in recent generations have scholars fully delved into the large body of his surviving work. This exhibition presents examples of the many genres to which de Hooghe contributed to give an account of his personal artistry and knowledge as well as of the world in which he worked.
Organization: Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington
