The Confrerie Pictura was a more or less academic club of artists founded in 1656 in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

(the Netherlands) by local art painters, who were unsatisfied by the

Guild of Saint Luke The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Evangelist Luke, the patron saint of artists, who was iden ...

there.

History

The guild of St. Luke in the Hague existed already in the 15th century and like most large Dutch cities, it catered not just to painters, but were united also with glaziers, engravers, sculptors, goldsmiths, printers and book sellers. In those days guilds were represented in churches with their own altars, and in the case of the painters' guild, they were sponsored by the church, and sometimes even ensured an income for church fathers through donations to the St. Luke's altar. After the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

, this all changed, and the churches were no longer a part of guild life. With the altarpieces gone that had traditionally been the public signboard for the artists, a new venue was necessary for sales. In addition, with the influx of talented painters from the Southern Netherlands cities such as

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, the guild fathers felt that more protective measures were necessary. When securing a new protective charter for the St. Luke's guild failed to have the desired effect, the Confrerie Pictura was set up by 48 dissatisfied painters.Confrerie Pictura
in ''De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen'' (1718) by

Arnold Houbraken Arnold Houbraken (28 March 1660 – 14 October 1719) was a Dutch people, Dutch Painting, painter and writer from Dordrecht, now remembered mainly as a biographer of Dutch Golden Age painters. Life Houbraken was sent first to learn ''threadt ...

, courtesy of the Digital library for Dutch literature They were led by the first deacon and popular Hague portrait painter

Adriaen Hanneman Adriaen Hanneman (c. 1603 – buried 11 July 1671) was a Dutch Golden Age painter best known for his portraits of the exiled British royal court. His style was strongly influenced by his contemporary, Anthony van Dyck. Biography He was born into ...

. Among the founders were Willem Doudijns (1630–1697), Jacob van der Does (1623–1673), Jan de Bisschop (1628–1671), Theodor van der Schuer,

Dirck van der Lisse Dirck van der Lisse (6 August 1607, The Hague - buried 31 January 1669, The Hague) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Van der Lisse was born in The Hague. He learned to paint from Cornelis van Poelenburch, and later lived in Utrecht from ...

, Daniel Mijtens the Younger,

Johannes Mytens Johannes Mytens or Jan Mijtens, or "Mytens" to the English (c.1614 – 24 December 1670) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, almost entirely as a portraitist. Mytens was born in The Hague. According to Houbraken, Johannes (Jan) Mijtens was trained ...

, Willem van Diest, Adriaen van de Venne, Robbert Duval, Joris van der Haagen and Augustinus Terwesten.

Charter of 1656

The goal of the Confrerie Pictura was to protect the Hague painters and to reinforce ties between its members. Everyone working as a painter in The Hague was obliged to be a member of the Confrerie. Guilds installed strict rules to restrict what was seen as unfair trading, but also obliged its members to attend the funerals of its members for instance. The Confrerie had a set of 28 rules. One important rule was that its members were obliged to exhibit their works permanently at their meeting room. As soon as a work had been sold it had to be replaced by a new one. The Confrerie started meeting upstairs at the Boterwaag building, where butter was traded at the Prinsegracht. They paid rent by donating a painting to the city council. The Confrerie was governed by a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

(deken), three governors (hoofdmannen) and a secretary, who were chosen every two years by the

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

of The Hague.

Haagse Tekenacademie

Later, in the 1680s the Confrerie received a somewhat better place at the Koorenhuis, the building where wheat was traded, also on the Prinsegracht. They had four separate rooms at the upper floor of this building. In 1682, several members of Confrerie Pictura: Willem Doudijns, Daniel Mijtens the Younger, Augustinus Terwesten, Theodor van der Schuer and Robbert Duval, founded a proper art school called ''The Hague Drawing Academy''. (Dutch: ''Haagsche Teekenacademie'') It would occupy one of the rooms in the Koorenhuis building. The academy proved to be a success, and later on it would transform into the ''

Royal Academy of Art, The Hague The Royal Academy of Art (, KABK) is an art and design academy in The Hague, offering programs at both the Education in the Netherlands, HBO bachelor's and master's levels, as well as PhD programs. Succeeding the ''Haagsche Teeken-Academie'' (pa ...

'', which still exists today.Article about the ''Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten Den Haag''
The original building is undergoing a restoration and expansion, but still exists (though damaged in the second world war) on the Prinsessegracht 4 in the Hague. Many original works of the founders and early members can be seen in the building's decorations.

Legacy

Paying dues to a second guild in addition to Confrerie Pictura proved too expensive for most painters, however protective it was, and the St. Luke's guild was soon to be dissolved. Confrerie Pictura existed until 1849, when the newly founded art society Pulchri Studio (founded 1847) proved to be a more modern alternative.

References

* Haagse Schilders in de Gouden Eeuw, Uitgeverij Waanders, Zwolle, 1998, * Honderd jaar Haagse schilderkunst in Pulchri Studio, Dr. H.E. van Gelder, Uitg. G.W. Breughel, Amsterdam 1947. {{DEFAULTSORT:Confrerie Pictura * Dutch artist groups and collectives . Artists from The Hague History of The Hague Netherlandish Baroque art Organizations established in 1656 1656 establishments in the Dutch Republic

History

Charter of 1656

Haagse Tekenacademie

Legacy

See also

References