Gerard van Honthorst (Dutch: ''Gerrit van Honthorst''; 4 November 1592 – 27 April 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who became known for his depiction of artificially lit scenes, eventually receiving the nickname ''Gherardo delle Notti'' ("Gerard of the Nights"). Early in his career he visited

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, where he had great success painting in a style influenced by

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

. Following his return to the Netherlands he became a leading portrait painter. Van Honthorst's contemporaries included

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

painters Hendrick Ter Brugghen and

Dirck van Baburen Dirck Jaspersz. van Baburen ( – 21 February 1624) was a Dutch people, Dutch Painting, painter and one of the Utrecht School, Utrecht Caravaggisti. Biography Dirck van Baburen was probably born in Wijk bij Duurstede, but his family moved to ...

Early life

Gerard van Honthorst - Granida and Daifilo - Google Art Project

Gerard van Honthorst - The procuress - Google Art Project

Van Honthorst was born in

, the son of a decorative painter, and trained under his father, and then under Abraham Bloemaert.Brown (1997), p.62

Italy

Having completed his education, Honthorst went to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, where he is first recorded in 1616. He was one of the artists from Utrecht who went to

at around this time, all of whom were to be deeply influenced by the recent art they encountered there. They were named the Utrecht ''caravaggisti''. The other three were Dirk van Baburen, Hendrick ter Bruggen and Jan van Bijlert. In Rome he lodged at the

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

of Vincenzo Giustiniani, where he painted '' Christ Before the High Priest'', now in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

. Giustiniani had an important art collection, and Honthorst was especially influenced by the contemporary artists, including

, Bartolomeo Manfredi and the Carracci. He was particularly known for his depiction of artificially lit scenes. Cardinal Scipione Borghese became another important patron, securing important commissions for him at San Silvestro Della Mariro, Montecompatri, and at Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome. He also worked for Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.

Return to Utrecht

Honthorst returned to Utrecht in 1620, and went on to build a considerable reputation both in the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

and abroad. In 1623, the year of his marriage, he was president of the Guild of St. Luke in Utrecht. He soon became so fashionable that Sir Dudley Carleton, then English envoy at

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 ...

, recommended his works to Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel. In 1626 Honthorst hosted a dinner for

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

, and painted him as the honest man sought for and found by

Diogenes Diogenes the Cynic, also known as Diogenes of Sinope (c. 413/403–c. 324/321 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynicism (philosophy), Cynicism. Renowned for his ascetic lifestyle, biting wit, and radical critique ...

Royal patronage

Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia, sister of

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

and Electress Palatine, then in exile in the Netherlands, commissioned Honthorst as a painter and employed him as a drawing-master for her children. Through her he became known to Charles, who invited him to England in 1628. There he painted several portraits, and a vast allegory, now at Hampton Court Palace, of Charles and his queen

Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria of France (French language, French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to K ...

as Diana and

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

in the clouds receiving the Duke of Buckingham as Mercury and guardian of the King of Bohemia's children. He painted a more intimate group portrait of ''The Four Eldest Children of the King of Bohemia'', (also at Hampton Court) in which the two eldest are depicted as Diana and Apollo. After his return to Utrecht, Honthorst retained the patronage of the English monarch, painting for him, in 1631, a large picture of the king and queen of Bohemia and all their children. At around the same time he painted some pictures illustrating the

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

for Lord Dorchester, and some showing incidents of Danish history for

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and King of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is th ...

. He also painted a portrait of the King's daughter Leonora Christina Ulfeldt while she was in The Hague. His popularity in the Netherlands was such that he opened a second studio in The Hague, where he painted portraits of members of the court, and taught drawing. These large studios, where the work included making replicas of Honthorst's royal portraits, employed a large number of pupils and assistants; according to one pupil, Joachim von Sandrart, describing his experiences in the mid-1620s, Honthorst would have about 24 students at any one time, each paying 100 guilders a year for their education. His brother Willem van Honthorst (1594–1666) was also a portrait painter. Many of Willem's paintings were previously misattributed to Gerrit due to the similarity of their signatures. Willem was a pupil of Abraham Bloemaert, and was also taught by his own elder brother. In 1646 he went to Berlin, where he became court painter to Louise-Henriette, wife of the Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg. He returned to Utrecht in 1664.

Nickname

Honthorst is often referred to as "Gherardo delle notti" ("Gerrit of the Nights") by modern Italians. However, the nickname does not actually appear in any known Italian sources dating before Honthorst's death. Surviving Italian documents from before 1656 refer to the artist as either "Gherardo Fiammingo" ("Gerrit the Fleming") or "Gherardo Hollandese" ("Gerrit the Dutchman"), emphasizing his foreignness rather than his trademark skill at rendering nocturnal lighting. It was only in the 18th century that the nickname "Gherardo delle notti" came into widespread use.

Legacy

Honthorst was a prolific artist. His most attractive pieces are those in which he cultivates the style of Caravaggio, often tavern scenes with musicians, gamblers and people eating. He had great skill at ''

chiaroscuro In art, chiaroscuro ( , ; ) is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to ach ...

'', often painting scenes illuminated by a single candle. Some of his pieces were portraits of the Duke of Buckingham and his family (Hampton Court), the King and Queen of Bohemia (Hanover and Combe Abbey), Marie de' Medici (Amsterdam Stadthuis), 1628, the ''Stadtholders and their Wives'' (Amsterdam and The Hague), Charles Louis and Rupert, Charles I's nephews (

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

, St Petersburg, Combe Abbey and Willin), and Baron Craven (

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

). His early style can be seen in the ''Lute-player'' (1614) in the Louvre, the ''Martyrdom of St John'' in Santa Maria della Scala at Rome, or the '' Liberation of Peter'' in the

Gemäldegalerie, Berlin The (, Painting Gallery) is an art museum in Berlin, Germany, and the museum where the main selection of paintings belonging to the Berlin State Museums (''Staatliche Museen zu Berlin'') is displayed. It was first opened in 1830, and the cur ...

. His 1620 ''The Adoration of the Shepherds'' in the

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery ( ; , ) is a prominent art museum adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of th ...

was destroyed in the Via dei Georgofili Massacre of 1993. Honthorst's 1623 ''The Concert'' was purchased for an undisclosed sum by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., from a private collection in France in November 2013. The painting had not been on view since 1795. The ''The Concert'' went on display for the first time in 218 years in a special installation at the National Gallery of Art's West Building on 23 November 2013. It remained there for six months before going on permanent display in the museum's Dutch and Flemish galleries.Boyle, Katherine. "National Gallery Acquires 'The Concert' by Dutch Golden Age Painter Honthorst." ''Washington Post.'' November 22, 2013.
Accessed 22 November 2013.

Gallery

File:St. Peter by Honthorst.JPG, ''St. Peter Being Freed from Prison'', 1616–1618, Berlin State Museums File:Gherardo delle Notti-Adoration of the Child.jpg, '' Adoration of the Child, 1620 Gerard van Honthorst - Adoration of the Shepherds - WGA11657.jpg, '' Adoration of the Shepherds'' 1622, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum File:Gerard van Honthorst - Christ before the High Priest - WGA11650.jpg, ''Christ before the High Priest'', , National Gallery, London File:The Mocking of Christ LACMA.jpg, ''Mocking of Christ'' by Gerard van Honthorst Image:Le Reniement de saint Pierre.jpg, ''The Denial of

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

'', c. 1620 File:Gerard van Honthorst - King David Playing the Harp - Google Art Project.jpg, ''King David Playing the Harp'' File:Gerrit van Honthorst - De vrolijke speelman.jpg, ''The Happy Fiddler'', 1623

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam 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 Museumplein, Museum Square in the stadsdeel, borough of Amsterdam-Zuid, Amsterdam South, ...

File:Gerard van Honthorst - Lute Player - WGA11666.jpg, ''Lute Player'', 1624 File:Gerrit Van Honthorst - Joyeux Violoniste.jpg, ''The Happy Violinist with a Glass of Wine'', 1624, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum File:Gerard van Honthorst - lviv gallery.jpg, ''Woman with guitar'' 1631, Lviv National Art Gallery File:Gerard van Honthorst - Woman Playing the Guitar - WGA11669.jpg, ''Woman Playing the Guitar'' File:Gerard van Honthorst - lviv gallery2.jpg, ''Man with

viola da gamba The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...

'' File:Gerard van Honthorst - Der liederliche Student - 391 - Bavarian State Painting Collections.jpg, ''Merry Company'' File:Merry Musician with Violin under His Left Arm.jpg, ''Merry Musician with Violin under His Left Arm'' File:Gherardo delle Notti-Supper with a Lute Player.jpg, ''Supper with a Lute Player'' File:Honthorst solon and croesus.jpg, ''Solon and Croesus'' File:Portret van Willem II (1626-50), prins van Oranje, en zijn echtgenote Maria Stuart (1631-60) Rijksmuseum SK-A-871.jpeg, ''Portrait of William II'' (1626–50), prins of Oranje, and Maria Stuart (1631–60) File:The Steadfast Philosopher, by Gerard van Hondhorst.jpg, ''The Steadfast Philosopher'', 1623 Private collection File:Honthorst Young woman medaillon.jpg, '' Smiling Girl, a Courtesan, Holding an Obscene Image'', 1625 Image:Frederik Hendrik (1584-1647), prins van Oranje (Atelier of Gerard van Honthorst, 1650).jpg, '' Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange'', 1650 File:The soldier and the girl, by Gerard van Honthorst.jpg, ''The soldier and the girl'' Image:Amalia van Solms (Gerard van Honthorst, 1650).jpg, Pendant portrait of Amalia van Solms-Braunfels File:Gerard van Honthorst - Margareta Maria de Roodere and Her Parents - WGA11679.jpg, ''Margareta Maria de Roodere and Her Parents'' (c. 1652) Centraal Museum,

File:Allegory of Painting.JPG, ''Allegory of Painting'' (1648) Crocker Art Museum,

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

References

Sources

* * * Filippo Baldinucci's Artists in biographies by Filippo Baldinucci, 1610–1670, p. 19
Internet Archive

External links

*
Gerrit-van-honthorst.org
Works by Gerrit van Honthorst

at WGA

Works and literature
at PubHist *
''Vermeer and The Delft School''
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Gerard van Honthorst
''Dutch and Flemish paintings from the Hermitage''
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Gerard van Honthorst (cat. no. 12) {{DEFAULTSORT:Honthorst, Gerard Van 1592 births 1656 deaths Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters Dutch genre painters Dutch portrait painters Painters from Utrecht (city) Sibling artists Caravaggisti 17th-century Dutch painters