Willem van Herp

Willem van Herp (Antwerp, c. 1614–1677) was a Flemish Baroque painter specializing in small cabinet paintings of "low-life" genre scenes and religious paintings.Hans Vlieghe, "Herp, Willem [Guillaume] van, I" "Grove Art Online", Oxford University Press, [accessed November 21, 2007] .]

Life and works

Willem van was long thought to have been a student of Peter Paul Rubens,Gregory Martin, "An Early Work by Willem van Herp," in Volker Manuth and Axel Rüger, "Collected Opinions Essays on Netherlandish Art in Honour of Alfred Bader", London: Paul Holberton Pub, 2004; pp. 106–113.] and although he was not a student he did borrow many of that master's motifs and touched up copies after that painter for the art dealer Matthijs Musson.Phoenix Art Museum, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and Mauritshuis (Hague, Netherlands), "Copper As Canvas Two Centuries of Masterpiece Paintings on Copper, 1575-1775", New York: Oxford University Press, 1999; pp. 206–208.] He is listed as an independent master in the Guild of St. Luke beginning in 1637.

Genre scenes, such as "A Poor Company at Table in a Rustic Kitchen (Le Petit Chaudron)" held by the National Trust at Tyntesfield, and oil on copper religious paintings, such as "Daniel in the Lions Den" ("c". 1650, Los Angeles County Museum of Art), are typical of his work. In the former, the figures demonstrate a small-scale use of Rubensean figures in an interior reminiscent of contemporary works by David Teniers the Younger. The latter is more representative of the small religious scenes on copper that make up most of his "oeuvre", with a highly polished finish and borrowings from Rubens—in this case from the "Daniel in the Lion's Den" in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Although only moderately successful in Antwerp, as suggested by the infrequent occurrence of his paintings in local inventories, many of his small works were probably intended as export items destined to Spain. Most of these were on copper, a material for painting that was highly prized both for durability and its glossy finish in Spain. Van Herp's works, in particular, were also influential in spreading copper painting in Mexico by way of trade from Spain to Latin America, and reflect a taste for small paintings reminiscent of Rubens's style abroad. He also became well-known in England through engravings after his works. [J. de Maere, Jennifer A. Martin, and Marie Wabbes. "Illustrated Dictionary of 17th Century Flemish Painters". Brussels: Renaissance du livre, 1994; p. 210.]

References

External links

* [http://www.nationalgalleryimages.co.uk/search.aspx?q=HERP+the+Elder%2C+Willem+van&mode=artist&frm=1 Willem van Herp, "St. Anthony of Padua (?) distributing bread", c. 1662. National Gallery, London.]