July 3, 2016 – January 2, 2017 West Building, Ground Floor, Galleries 22 and 22A
Johan Barthold Jongkind, Countryside near Brezins, between Grenoble and Vienne, 1880s, black chalk and watercolor on two joined sheets of wove paper, National Gallery of Art, Purchased as the Gift of Joan and David Maxwell, 2006.97.1.a.
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
This is one of nine surviving pages from an illustrated chronicle that originally depicted more than three hundred ancient, biblical, medieval, and legendary people. The famous figures were presented in quasi-chronological order, beginning with the creation of Adam. The seven on this page are from the sixth century BC. The two figures in the top row are Brutus Lucius Junius, a founder and consul of the Roman Republic, and Peisistratus, an autocratic ruler of ancient Athens. In the next row, the Persian king Cambyses II stands before the city of Babylon, which, according to the Latin inscription below it, he had saved from Egypt. He is paired with the Hebrew heroine Judith, who beheaded the Babylonian general Holofernes. Standing in the last row are the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras; Darius the Great, Cambyses II’s successor to the Persian throne; and the Old Testament prophet Haggai.
Barthélemy van Eyck, Seven Famous Figures from Ancient History, c. 1442, pen and ink with watercolor, heightened with white, on vellum, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Woodner Collection, Gift of Andrea Woodner, 2006
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Circle of Hugo van Der Goes, Jacob’s Dream, 1480/1490, pen and ink, heightened with white gouache on brown paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Beatrix von Hoffmann, 2016
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Simon Bening, The Adoration of the Magi, mid-1520s, tempera heightened with gold on vellum, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Woodner Collection, Gift of Dian Woodner, 2013
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Netherlandish School, 16th Century, View of the Janiculum Hill in Rome, Seen from the Tiber, 1553, pen and ink over chalk, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Ladislaus and Beatrix von Hoffmann, 2011
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
One of a series of eight designs for prints depicting the biblical story of Job, this sheet shows Satan daring the Lord, at center with his hand on the globe, to rescind his protection over his most faithful servant. God accepts the challenge, allowing Satan to subject Job to a number of depredations and trials, but Job’s faith never wavers. He is shown at the lower right, his hands folded in prayer and acceptance; his wife stands beside him, urging him—without success—to curse God.
Maerten van Heemskerck, Satan Challenges God to Remove His Protection from Job, 1562, pen and ink over traces of graphite, incised for transfer, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Joseph F. McCrindle Collection, 2010
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Abraham Bloemaert, Acis and Galatea, c. 1590, pen and ink with wash and traces of white heightening over chalk, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Woodner Collection, Gift of Andrea Woodner, 2006
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Roelandt Savery, Mountainous Landscape with Castles and Waterfalls, c. 1606, chalk with traces of white heightening on gray-green paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Woodner Collection, Gift of Dian Woodner, 2011
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Gerrit van Honthorst, Diana and Four Nymphs Receiving Gifts from a Satyr, c. 1630, pen and ink with wash over chalk, heightened with white gouache, on brown paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, 2015
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Joris van der Haagen, Woods at Night with Travelers, wash heightened with white gouache on blue paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Purchased as the Gift of Diane A. Nixon, 2006
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Michael Sweerts, Jan van den Enden, c. 1651, chalk, National Gallery of Art, Washington, New Century Fund, 2012
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Gaspar van Wittel, The Ruins of an Ancient Amphitheater, c. 1701, pen and ink with wash over chalk, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, Patrons’ Permanent Fund, 2007
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Jan van Huysum, Bouquet of Spring Flowers in a Terracotta Vase, 1720s, oiled charcoal and watercolor, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, The Ahmanson Foundation Fund, Linda H. Kaufman Fund, and Mr. and Mrs. Louis Glickfield Fund, 2011
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Cornelis Steffelaar, A Giant Oak at the Edge of a Forest, 1840s (?), pen and ink with wash, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 2014
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Johan Barthold Jongkind, Countryside near Brezins, between Grenoble and Vienne, 1880s, chalk and watercolor on two joined sheets of paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Purchased as the Gift of Joan and David Maxwell, 2006
Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings
Lodewijk Schelfhout, Self-Portrait, 1907, pen and ink, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Purchased as the Gift of Vincent J. Buonanno, 2012
This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery.
Overview:Recent Acquisitions of Dutch and Flemish Drawings encompasses landscapes, seascapes, portraits, still lifes, and history subjects that demonstrate the originality of Dutch and Flemish draftsmanship and its stylistic evolution. Key works by artists such as Maerten van Heemskerck (1498–1574), Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617), Abraham Bloemaert (1564–1651), and Jan van Huysum (1682–1749) will be exhibited. In addition to eight works made prior to 1600, six 18th- and 19th-century drawings will be on view, including major works by Gaspar van Wittel (1652/1653–1736) and Johan Barthold Jongkind (1819–1891). The latest work in the exhibition is a powerful self-portrait from 1907 by Lodewijk Schelfhout (1881–1943).
Organization: Organized by National Gallery of Art, Washington
Sponsor: The exhibition is supported in part by a generous grant from the Thaw Charitable Trust.
