Cornelis Hofstede de Groot (9 November 1863 – 14 April 1930), was a Dutch art collector,

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

and

museum curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

Life

He was born in

Dwingeloo Dwingeloo () is a village halfway between Meppel and Assen in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Westerveld. The village is known internationally because of the radio telescope of the Dwingeloo Radio O ...

and spent some time in Switzerland in his youth due to weak lungs, where he learned German. He became the first academically schooled art historian of the Netherlands, receiving his training in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

, which is why much of his work was published in German, most notably his lengthy 10-part ''Beschreibendes kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke der hervorragendsten Holländischen Mahler des XVII. Jahrhunderts'' (1907–28), also known as a rewrite of John Smith's ''

catalogue raisonné A (or critical catalogue) is an annotated listing of the works of an artist or group of artists and can contain all works or a selection of works categorised by different parameters such as medium or period. A ''catalogue raisonné'' is normal ...

'' (9 vols.; 1829–42, London). He became an expert who had many differences of opinion with

Abraham Bredius Abraham Bredius (18 April 1855 – 13 March 1946) was a Dutch art collector, art historian, and museum curator. Life Bredius travelled widely, visiting various art collections in his youth, and worked at the Dutch Museum for History and Art be ...

and other art collectors, while serving various institutions to do with the arts of the Netherlands, including the

Frans Hals Museum The Frans Hals Museum (formerly ''Stedelijk Museum van Haarlem'') is a museum in the North Holland city of Haarlem, the Netherlands, founded in 1862, known as the Art Museum of Haarlem. Its collection is based on the city's own rich collection, b ...

Gemeentemuseum Den Haag The Kunstmuseum Den Haag is an art museum in The Hague in the Netherlands, founded in 1866 as the Museum voor Moderne Kunst. Later, until 1998, it was known as Haags Gemeentemuseum, and until the end of September 2019 as Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. I ...

, and the

RKD The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: ), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center in the world. The center specializes in document ...

. In 1893 he published a short article on

Judith Leyster Judith Jans Leyster (also Leijster; baptised July 28, 1609Molenaer, JudithNational Gallery of Art website. Accessed February 1, 2014. – February 10, 1660) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of genre works, portraits, and still lifes. Her work wa ...

in the journal ''Jahrbuch der Königlich Preussischen Kunstsammlungen'', thus "re-discovering" her work for the first time after centuries. In 1896 he became director of the Rijksprentenkabinet (the Dutch national collection of prints, drawings, and photographs housed in the Amsterdam

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the S ...

building), but he quit after two years because of a difference of opinion with his predecessor there. He then settled in The Hague as an independent art critic and began work on an eight-part book on Rembrandt with

Wilhelm von Bode Wilhelm von Bode (10 December 1845 – 1 March 1929) was a German art historian and museum curator. Born Arnold Wilhelm Bode in Calvörde, and known as Wilhelm Bode for most of his career, he was ennobled in 1913, and thereafter adopted the ar ...

. His catalogue of his extensive collection of

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

drawings in German was published by the

Teylers Tweede Genootschap Teylers Tweede Genootschap (English: Teylers Second Society), also known as the ''Wetenschappelijk Genootschap'' (Scientific Society) is one of the two societies founded within the Teylers Stichting with the purpose to promote and award prizes fo ...

in their ''Verhandelingen'' of 1906.Cornelis Hofstede de Groot
on inghist In 1910 he published a catalog of paintings by

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, ; ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He lived and worked in Haarlem, a city in which the local authority of the day frowned on religious painting in places of worship but citizens liked to decorate thei ...

. From 1912 to 1930 he lived in Haarlem, where he was a member of Teylers Tweede Genootschap. From 1916 onwards he was a member of the

Rijksmonument A (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands had 61,822 l ...

commission in the Netherlands. He wrote over 70 biographies of Dutch painters for the ''kunstenaarslexikon'' of Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker.

Catalogue Raisonné

He began the painstaking work of updating John Smith's catalogue raisonné in 1907 in German, but took on the translator Edward G. Hawke almost immediately to ensure publication in English. Unfortunately, Hofstede de Groot died before the translation of all volumes could be completed. The publications were (German date, followed in parentheses by the English date): * Band 1 1907 (Volume 1 1908) :

Jan Steen Jan Havickszoon Steen ( – buried 3 February 1679) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century. His works are known for their psychological insight, sense of humour and abundance of colour. Life ...

Gabriel Metsu In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

Gerard Dou Gerrit Dou (; 7 April 1613 – 9 February 1675), also known as Gerard Douw or Dow, was a Dutch Golden Age painting, Dutch Golden Age painter, whose small, highly polished paintings are typical of the Leiden fijnschilders. He specialised in genre s ...

Pieter de Hooch Pieter Hendricksz. de Hooch (; also spelled ''Hoogh'' or ''Hooghe''; 20 December 1629 – after 1683), was a Dutch Golden Age painter famous for his genre works of quiet domestic scenes with an open doorway. He was a contemporary, in the ...

Carel Fabritius Carel Pietersz. Fabritius (; bapt. 27 February 1622 – 12 October 1654) was a Dutch painter. He was a pupil of Rembrandt and worked in his studio in Amsterdam. Fabritius, who was a member of the Delft School, developed his own artistic style ...

Johannes Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , ; see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch ...

of Delft, produced with assistance by W.R. Valentiner * Band 2 1908 (Volume 2 1909) :

Aelbert Cuyp Aelbert Jacobszoon Cuyp or Cuijp (; 20 October 1620 – 15 November 1691) was one of the leading Dutch Golden Age painters, producing mainly landscapes. The most famous of a family of painters, the pupil of his father, Jacob Gerritszoon Cuyp (1 ...

Philips Wouwerman Philips Wouwerman (also Wouwermans) (24 May 1619 (baptized) – 19 May 1668) was a Dutch painter of hunting, landscape and battle scenes. He became prolific during the Dutch Golden Age and joined the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke. Life and work P ...

, produced with assistance by

Kurt Freise Kurt is a male given name in Germanic languages. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Konrad/Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. Like Conrad, it can also a surname an ...

* Band 3 1910 (Volume 3 1910) :

Adriaen van Ostade Adriaen van Ostade (baptized as Adriaen Jansz Hendricx 10 December 1610 – buried 2 May 1685) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of genre works, showing everyday life of ordinary men and women. Life According to Arnold Houbraken, he and his br ...

Isaac van Ostade Isaac van Ostade (bapt. June 2, 1621 – buried October 16, 1649) was a Dutch genre and landscape painter. Biography Van Ostade was born in Haarlem. He began his studies under his brother, Adriaen, with whom he remained until 1641, when he ...

Adriaen Brouwer Adriaen Brouwer ( – January 1638) was a Flemish painter active in Flanders and the Dutch Republic in the first half of the 17th century.Kurt Erasmus * Band 4 1911 (Volume 4 1912) :

Jacob van Ruysdael Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael (; 1629 – 10 March 1682) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher. He is generally considered the pre-eminent landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of great wealth and cultural achieve ...

Meindert Hobbema Meindert Lubbertszoon Hobbema (bapt. 31 October 1638 – 7 December 1709) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of landscapes, specializing in views of woodland, although his most famous painting, ''The Avenue at Middelharnis'' (1689, National Galler ...

Adriaen van de Velde Adriaen van de Velde (bapt. 30 November 1636, in Amsterdam – bur. 21 January 1672, in Amsterdam), was a Dutch painter, draughtsman and print artist. His favorite subjects were landscapes with animals and genre scenes.Paulus Potter Paulus Potter (; 20 November 1625 (baptised) – 17 January 1654 (buried)) was a Dutch painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid sur ...

, produced with assistance by Kurt Erasmus, W.R. Valentiner, Kurt Freise * Band 5 1912 (Volume 5 1913) :

Gerard ter Borch Gerard ter Borch (; December 1617 – 8 December 1681), also known as Gerard Terburg (), was a Dutch Golden Age painter mainly of genre subjects. He influenced his fellow Dutch painters Gabriel Metsu, Gerrit Dou, Eglon van der Neer and Johan ...

Caspar Netscher Caspar (or Gaspar) Netscher (1639 – January 15, 1684) was a Dutch portrait and genre painter. He was a master in depicting oriental rugs, silk and brocade and introduced an international style to the Northern Netherlands. Life According to Arn ...

Godfried Schalcken Godfried Schalcken (8 October 1643 – 16 November 1706) was a Dutch artist who specialized in genre paintings and portraits. Schalcken was noted for his night scenes and mastery in reproducing the effect of candlelight. He painted in the highly ...

, Pieter van Slingeland, Eglon Hendrik van der Neer, produced with assistance by Eduard Plietzsch, * Band 6 1914 (Volume 6 1916) :

Nicolaes Maes Nicolaes Maes (January 1634December 1693 (buried 24 December 1693)) was a Dutch Republic, Dutch painter known for his Genre painting, genre scenes, Portrait painting, portraits, religious compositions and the occasional still life. A pupil of Re ...

, Volume 6
on archive.org produced with assistance by Karl Lilienfeld, Kurt Erasmus * Band 7 1918 (Volume 7 1923) :

Willem van de Velde Willem van de Velde the Elder (1610/11 – 13 December 1693) was a Dutch Golden Age marine painting, seascape painter, who produced many precise drawings of ships and ink paintings of fleets, but later learned to use oil paints like his so ...

, Johannes van de Capelle, Ludolf Bakhuyzen,

Aert van der Neer Aert van der Neer, or Aernout or Artus ( – 9 November 1677), was a landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age, who specialized in small night scenes lit only by moonlight and fires, and snowy winter landscapes, both often looking down a canal ...

, produced with assistance by Karl Lilienfeld, * Band 8 1923 (Volume 8 1927) :

Jan van Goyen Jan Josephszoon van Goyen (; 13 January 1596 – 27 April 1656) was a Dutch landscape painter. The scope of his landscape subjects was very broad as he painted forest landscapes, marine paintings, river landscapes, beach scenes, winter landscap ...

, Jan van der Heyden, Johannes Wijnants, produced with assistance by O. Hirschmann, H. Kauffmann, W. Stechow * Band 9 1926 (German only) : Johannes Hackaert,

Nicolaes Berchem Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem (1 October 1620 – 18 February 1683) was a highly esteemed and prolific Dutch Golden Age painter of pastoral landscapes, populated with mythological or biblical figures, but also of a number of allegories and genre ...

, Karel du Jardin, Jan Both,

Adam Pijnacker Adam Christiaensz Pynacker or Pijnacker (15 February 1622, Schiedam - buried 28 March 1673, Amsterdam ) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, mostly of landscapes. Biography Pynacker was the son of a wine merchant, who was a member of the ''vroedsch ...

, produced with assistance by O. Hirschmann, W. Stechow, K. Bauch * Band 10 1928 (German only) : Frans van Mieris,

Willem van Mieris Willem van Mieris (3 June 166226 January 1747) was an 18th-century painter from the Dutch Republic. Biography Willem van Mieris was a painter, sculptor and etcher active in Leiden. He was born in Leiden and studied under his father Frans van M ...

Adriaen van der Werff Adriaen is a Dutch form of Adrian. Notable people with the name include: * Adriaen Banckert (1615–1684), Dutch admiral *Adriaen Block (1567–1627), Dutch private trader and navigator * Adriaen Brouwer (1605–1638), Flemish genre painter * Adria ...

Rachel Ruysch Rachel Ruysch (3 June 1664 – 12 October 1750) was a Dutch still-life painter from the Northern Netherlands. She specialized in flowers, inventing her own style and achieving international fame in her lifetime. Due to a long and successful car ...

, Jan van Huysum, produced with assistance by Elisabeth Neurdenburg, O. Hirschmann, K. Bauch File:Cornelis Hofstede de Groot - A catalogue raisonné of the works of the most eminent Dutch painters of the seventeenth century based on the work of John Smith. Translated and edited by Edward G. Hawke 1908.jpg File:Cornelis Hofstede de Groot - A catalogue raisonné of the works of the most eminent Dutch painters of the seventeenth century based on the work of John Smith. Translated and edited by Edward G. Hawke v2 1909.jpg File:Cornelis Hofstede de Groot - A catalogue raisonné of the works of the most eminent Dutch painters of the seventeenth century based on the work of John Smith. Translated and edited by Edward G. Hawke v3 1910.jpg File:Cornelis Hofstede de Groot - A catalogue raisonné of the works of the most eminent Dutch painters of the seventeenth century based on the work of John Smith. Translated and edited by Edward G. Hawke v4 1912.jpg File:Cornelis Hofstede de Groot - A catalogue raisonné of the works of the most eminent Dutch painters of the seventeenth century based on the work of John Smith. Translated and edited by Edward G. Hawke v5 1913.jpg File:Cornelis Hofstede de Groot - A catalogue raisonné of the works of the most eminent Dutch painters of the seventeenth century based on the work of John Smith. Translated and edited by Edward G. Hawke v6 1916.jpg

References

Cornelis Hofstede de Groot
in the

Dictionary of Art Historians The ''Dictionary of Art Historians'' (DAH) is an online encyclopedia of topics relating to art historians, art critics and their dictionaries. The mission of the project is to provide free, reliable, English-language information on published art h ...

External links

Books by Cornelis Hofstede de Groot
on the

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Overview of publications by Cornelis Hofstede de Groot

A Catalogue Raisonne of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, based on the work of John Smith
by Hofstede de Groot, Volume III, 1910, on

archive.org The Internet Archive is an American non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including websites, software applic ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Groot, Cornelis Hofstede de 1863 births 1930 deaths Dutch art historians People from Drenthe Members of Teylers Tweede Genootschap Rembrandt scholars