JOHANNES CHRISTOFFEL VAARBERG
(Weesp 1825 – Amsterdam 1871)
The Studio of Paulus Potter
signed and dated in the lower center J.C. Vaarberg 57
oil on panel
21 x 16 inches (53.3 x 40.8 cm.)
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, New York, until the present time
Paulus Potter (1625–1654) was dubbed the “Raphael of the Cows” by an art critic in the
nineteenth century. Renowned for paintings of animals in a landscape, Potter’s The
Young Bull in the Mauritshuis, The Hague, in the nineteenth century rivaled the fame of
Rembrandt’s The Night Watch and to this day is possibly the museum’s most popular
work. In 1649 Potter was living in The Hague in a home rented from Jan van Goyen. In
1650 he married Adriana van Balckeneyde, the daughter of the leading architect of the
city, Claes Dircksz. Van Balckeneyde. Through Van Balckeneyde’s connections Potter
received important commissions. Johannes Christoffel Vaarberg’s The Studio of Paulus
Potter in all likelihood depicts a notorious incident in what was otherwise a very
successful career. Potter received a commission from the Stadtholder Frederick
Hendrick’s widow, Amalia van Solms, for a chimney piece for the Princess’s private
apartments in the Oude Hof. The result was a spectacular sunlit farmyard scene with a
profusion of animals. Near the center of the composition, Potter included the very
realistic barnyard detail of a cow urinating. This unfortunately set off a whispering
campaign about the painting’s unsuitability and ultimately led to the Princess’s rejection
1
of the work. The painting at some point was also dubbed “The Pissing Cow.” Its correct
title is The Farm and it is now one of the treasures of the Hermitage Collection (inventory
no. 820).
Vaarberg recreates Potter’s studio in meticulous detail, emulating the style of the Master.
Adriana is viewed probably delivering the unfortunate news while Potter defensively
points to the painting of a bull he has just started. Vaarberg has admirably captured the
artist’s face, known from a portrait done of Potter in 1654 by Bartholomeus van den Helst
and now in the Mauritshuis. Their dress reflects a romanticized interpretation of
seventeenth century attire. Two dogs protectively hover nearby. Spread across the black
and white checkerboard floor are an overstuffed portfolio of drawings that testify to
Potter’s reputation as a prolific draftsman, his paint-box, palette, brushes, unstretched
canvas and a book of engravings. In the right foreground are props that could be
incorporated into the painting including a walking stick, hunter’s horn and pouch along
with assorted greenery. In the background an apprentice diligently primes a canvas. To
1 Biographical information taken from Jakob Rosenberg, Seymour Slive, and E. H. ter
Kuile, Dutch Art and Architecture, 1600 – 1800, Penguin, Baltimore, MD, 1960, p.
160; “Paulus Potter” in Dutch Painting of the Golden Age from the Royal Picture
Gallery Mauritshuis, exhibition catalog, National Gallery of Art, Washington, starting
April 1982, and traveling, p. 96; Amy L. Walsh, “Paulus (Pietersz.) Potter” in From
Rembrandt to Vermeer, 17th Century Dutch Artists, Grove Art, St. Martin’s Press, New
York, 2000, p. 258; and Walter Liedtke, “Painting in Delft from about 1600 to 1650” in
Vermeer and the Delft School, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2001, p.
87.
the right, a mantelpiece is festooned with decorative objects, adjacent to a winding
wooden staircase, next to a lit hallway. Sunlight pours in from an unseen source in the
upper left-hand corner, spotlighting the sitters and artistic implements.
Vaarberg lived and worked in Amsterdam starting in 1848. He is thought to have studied
at the Academy in Amsterdam. Although he painted portraits and contemporary genre, he
excelled at recreating historical scenes with dramatic use of light often emanating from
2
candles or lamps. By employing traditional seventeenth-century compositional
techniques, Vaarberg succeeded in capturing their essence. His work reflects a period
when historical paintings were exceedingly popular. In order to make this subject matter
more accessible, painters often chose to represent incidents from the lives of the famous
as opposed to major events. These works emphasized personal character and experiences
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with which the viewer could empathize, as in our painting which deals with the theme of
rejection and ultimate vindication.
Johannes Frederick Hulk, Jr., was a student of Vaarberg. From 1848–1871 Vaarberg
exhibited works in Amsterdam, The Hague, Groningen, Rotterdam and Leeuwarden. A
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painting by the artist is in the Museum Paul Tetar van Elven in Delft.
2 Biographical information taken from Pieter A. Scheen, “Johannes Christoffel
Vaarberg” in Lexicon Nederlandse Beeldende Kunstenaars 1750–1880, Uitgeverij
Pieter A. Scheen BV, ‘s-Gravenhage, 1981, p. 532.
3 Mary Cowling, “History Painting” in Paintings from the Reign of Victoria, The Royal
Halloway Collection, London, Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia, 2008, p.
69.
4 Pieter A. Scheen, op. cit., p. 332.