Den Haag, 19 September 2016
In his day, Jan van Ravesteyn was the most in-demand portrait painter in The
Hague, but nowadays this 17th-century artist is relatively unknown. The Historical
Museum of The Hague is remedying this with its exhibition ‘Faces from the Dutch
Golden Age: Portraits by Jan van Ravesteyn’, which will run from 26 November 2016
to 9 April 2017 and highlights the life and work of this once-famous artist.
In the 17th century, Jan van Ravesteyn (ca. 1572–1657) was one of the foremost
portrait painters in The Hague. He received honourable commissions from
Maurice, Prince of Orange, the city government, the civic guard and prominent
individuals in The Hague. He was held in high esteem by his peers as well as his
clients: his own portrait was even painted by the famous court painter Anthony
van Dyck.
In his day, he was a celebrated artist, but today Van Ravesteyn is relatively
unknown. For this reason, the Historical Museum of The Hague is presenting an
overview of his life, work and clients, in the very spot where he was a member of
the civic guard over 350 years ago. The exhibition features four top works from
the museum's own collection and also includes works on loan from the
Mauritshuis, the Rijksmuseum and other collections.
A range of activities accompanies the exhibition, such as a lecture on 17th-century
clothing, children's workshops on portrait painting and city walking tours taking in
the places where Van Ravesteyn lived and worked. The festive public opening of
the exhibition will take place on Saturday 26 November.
Little is known of painter Jan van Ravesteyn's early years. He was probably born in 1572,
but we cannot be absolutely sure of his place of birth or who his parents were. It is
generally assumed that his father was Anthonis van Ravesteyn, a glass painter from
Culemborg. What we do know for certain is that in 1598, Jan van Ravesteyn became a
member of the Guild of St Luke in The Hague.
Esteemed by his peers as well as his clients, Van Ravesteyn developed into one of the
most important portrait painters in The Hague. Contemporaries praised him for his
painting style: for example, Carel van Mander called him “a superb painter” and the
famous court painter Anthony van Dyck even painted a portrait of him.
Van Ravesteyn had a wide range of clients, from rich individuals who commissioned
paintings of their children or themselves with their spouse, to the lesser nobility and the
city magistrates. A particularly remarkable portrait by Van Ravesteyn in the collection of
the Historical Museum of The Hague shows the magistrate of The Hague together with
the officers of the civic guard – as far as we know the only painting in Dutch history to
feature such a combination. Van Ravesteyn's artistic talents were also put to use at the
Royal Court. He produced a series of 27 portraits of officers for Maurice, Prince of
Orange, which were originally hung in Honselaarsdijk Palace and are now part of the
Mauritshuis collection. This was an extremely prestigious commission, which Van
Ravesteyn would have undoubtedly been proud of. Some of these portraits can be seen
in the exhibition.
What is very clear is that Van Ravesteyn, like many other painters in the Golden Age, was
a true specialist. To our knowledge, he did not paint any landscapes, cityscapes or stilllifes – he focused solely on painting portraits. This was a lucrative specialism, as portraits
were much in demand among the wealthy elite. Yet despite this, Van Ravesteyn had little
true competition in The Hague. He is often associated with the painter Michiel van
Mierevelt, as the two artists shared a similar style. However, Van Mierevelt was not true
competition for Van Ravesteyn as he worked mainly in Delft, so each painter had his own
city and clientele.
Although Van Ravesteyn was held in high esteem by his peers and clients in his day,
nowadays this painter is relatively little known among the general public. Therefore, the
Historical Museum of The Hague felt it was high time to shine the spotlight on its
forgotten native portrait painter, at the exact spot where he himself was a member of the
civic guard over 350 years ago. “What makes this artist special is his keen eye for detail,
which gives us excellent insight into the exceptional 17th-century fashions worn in the
courtly city of The Hague," says guest curator Saskia Kuus. The exhibition ‘Faces from the
Dutch Golden Age: Portraits by Jan van Ravesteyn’ can be seen from 26 November 2016
to 9 April 2017.