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Jacob Matham, after David Vinckboons
Bacchus finding Ariadne on Naxos
engraving
76 x 128 mm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
inv. no. RP-P-OB-27.217
David Vinckboons (Mechelen 1576 - 1629 Amsterdam)
Bacchus finding Ariadne on Naxos
pen in brown, brush in grey on laid paper
68 x 114 mm
David Vinckboons was born in Mechelen in 1576. Three years later, the Vinckboons family moved to Antwerp; after the fall of Antwerp they emigrated, first to Middelburg and, in 1586,...
David Vinckboons was born in Mechelen in 1576. Three years later, the Vinckboons family moved to Antwerp; after the fall of Antwerp they emigrated, first to Middelburg and, in 1586, to Amsterdam. David was first taught by his father Filips, who was a painter. He married the wealthy Agnieta van Loon in 1602; the couple was to have no less than 10 children. Vinckboons quickly established himself as a successful painter. Greatly influenced by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, he was instrumental in the development of genre painting in the northern Netherlands. He specialized in elegant figures in park-like landscapes as well as kermesse paintings and other village festivals. He ran a studio and taught a number of pupils, including Gillis d'Hondecoeter, Claes Janszoon Visscher and probably Esaias van de Velde. Besides as a painter, Vinckboons was also active as a print designer, finding a ready clientele amongst Amsterdam's many book printers.
The present charming drawing must be considered a primo pensiero for the print (New Hollstein Dutch 279-1(2)) Vinckboons designed as a book illustration for Daniel Heinsius' Nederduytsche poemata. dl. 3: Hymnus oft Lof-sanck van Bacchus, Waerin'tgebruyck ende misbruyck vande Wijn beschreven wort, published in Amsterdam in 1616 by Willem Jansz Blaeu. Both the drawing and the print depict Bacchus, surrounded by his entourage of merrymakers and drinkers, encountering Ariadne on the island of Naxos, where she was left by Theseus on his way back to Athens from Crete (his ship can be seen sailing away in the background). Bacchus was stricken by her beauty and ended up marrying her. Though there are substantial differences between our drawing and the final print, there are enough striking similarities between the two (the figure of Ariadne, for instance) to link the drawing definitively to the creation process of the print.
Provenance
Dr. Einar Perman (1893-1976), Stockholm;
by descent to the previous owners;
sale, New York, Sotheby's, 31 January 2024, lot 104.
Exhibitions
Laren, Singer Museum, Oude Tekeningen uit de Nederlanden. Verzameling Prof. E. Perman, Stockholm, 1962, cat. no 121 (as Adriaen van de Venne).