Marten van Cleve the Elder (

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 ...

, c. 1527 – Antwerp, before 24 November 1581) was a Flemish painter and draftsman active in Antwerp between 1551 and 1581.Carl Van de Velde. "Marten van Cleve I." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 10 March 2016Marten van Cleve (I)
at

The Netherlands Institute for Art History 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 ...

Van Cleve is mainly known for his genre scenes with peasants and landscapes, which show a certain resemblance with the work of

Pieter Bruegel the Elder Pieter Bruegel (also Brueghel or Breughel) the Elder ( , ; ; – 9 September 1569) was among the most significant artists of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, a painter and printmaking, printmaker, known for his landscape art, landscape ...

. Marten van Cleve was one of the leading Flemish artists of his generation. His subjects and compositions were an important influence on the work of Pieter Brueghel the Younger and other genre painters of his generation.Marten van Cleve I (Antwerp c. 1527-before 1581), ''The Massacre of the Innocents''
at Christie's

Life

Details about the life of Marten van Cleve are scarce. He was born in

as the son of Willem van Cleve the Elder who had become a master in the Antwerp

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 ...

in 1518.Frans Jozef Peter Van den Branden, ''Geschiedenis der Antwerpsche schilderschool'', Antwerpen, 1883, p. 294-297 Based on his own declaration in a document dated 2 April 1567 that he was then 40 years of age, it is assumed van Cleve was born in 1526 or 1527.B. Blauensteiner, ''Marten van Cleve (1526/27–1581). Prolegomena zu einer Neubewertung'', in: Jahrbuch des Kunsthistorischen Museums 17/18 (2015/16) Marten's elder brother

Hendrick van Cleve III Hendrick van Cleve or Hendrik van Cleve III (c. 1525 in Antwerp – between 1590 and 1595) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and designer of prints.

and his younger brother Willem van Cleve the Younger were both painters.Carl Van de Velde. "Hendrik van Cleve III." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 5 August 2019. Marten van Cleve - Wedding Dance

Marten van Cleve first studied under his father. According to the early Flemish biographer

Karel van Mander Karel van Mander (I) or Carel van Mander IKarel van Mander
at the Netherlands Institute for Art History ...

Marten van Cleve studied under

Frans Floris Frans Floris, Frans Floris the Elder or Frans Floris de Vriendt (17 April 15191 October 1570) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman, print artist and tapestry designer. He is mainly known for his history paintings, allegorical scenes and portraits. ...

, the leading Flemish history painter in the mid 16th century. There is no evidence for this apprenticeship. Some stylistic similarities with Frans Floris' works that appear in van Cleve's early work and the engravings after his inventions make the apprenticeship plausible. Van Mander also stated that van Cleve did not follow the 16th century trend of Flemish painters to study in Italy. This may explain why van Cleve's work does not show the influence of Italian

Mannerism Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

with its unrealistic deformations.Giorgio T. Faggin, ''De genre-schilder Marten van Cleef'', in: Oud Holland, Vol. 80, No. 1 (1965), pp. 34-43, 45-46 Marten van Cleve became a master in the Antwerp

in 1551. Marten van Cleve married Maria de Greve on 7 January 1556. The couple had four sons named Gillis, Marten (called 'Marten the Younger), Joris and Nicolaas who all became painters. Marten van Cleve had five registered pupils, one of whom became a master. One of his pupils may have been

Hans Jordaens Hans Jordaens the Elder (1555–1630), was a Flemish Baroque painter whose religious works are often confused with that of other painters with the same name. Biography He was born in Antwerp, but after the siege of Antwerp, his family moved to ...

. Between 1560 and 1570 Marten van Cleve operated an important workshop with a large output. The majority of the works were copies of Marten's original inventions. It is probable that his own sons also assisted in his studio. Van Cleve was a regular collaborator with a number of prominent landscape painters. Marten van Cleve Marten died in 1581, at which time he was suffering from gout and rheumatism.Marten van Cleve
''A wedding procession'' at

Johnny van Haeften John Henry Van Haeften (born 1952) is a British art dealer, who specialises in 16th and 17th century Dutch and Flemish Old Master paintings. He has been a fanatical stamp collector from a young age, specialising in the stamps of Malta, and cred ...

Work

Marten van Cleve was principally a genre painter, who specialized in peasant scenes and landscapes. Only about five of his works are signed and properly documented. He depicted predominantly low-life scenes of peasant weddings and dances, kermisses, brawling peasants and soldiers and plundering soldiers, which show his debt to the work of

. As the artist only left few signed works, the attribution of works to him has been difficult and several attributions have been rejected in recent years. Even the attributions by Dr. Klaus Ertz in his

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 ...

of Marten van Cleve's paintings and drawings published in 2014 have been questioned. His oldest authenticated work is the '' Farm interior with important visitors'' (

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien ( "Vienna Museum of art history, Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, i ...

, Vienna), which was included in the 1659 inventory of

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (5 January 1614 – 20 November 1662), younger brother of Emperor Ferdinand III, was an Austrian soldier, administrator and patron of the arts. He held a number of military commands, with limited success, a ...

. It is regarded as a youth work and shows the large kitchen of a farm. A couple from the city are in the kitchen to visit their child which they have entrusted to a wet nurse. The work, which is probably dated to around 1555–1560, shows the influence of

in its fluid brush stroke. The choice of subject matter was likely influenced by

Pieter Aertsen Pieter Aertsen (1508, Amsterdam – 2 June 1575, Amsterdam), called ''Lange Piet'' ("Tall Pete") because of his height, was a Dutch painter in the style of Northern Mannerism. He is credited with the invention of the monumental genre scene, whi ...

's peasant scenes from the period 1550–1560. Unlike Aertsen, van Cleve's treatment of space is more modern and his work is free of the influence of the

of the Flemish Romanists who were inspired by contemporary Italian art. The influence of Pieter Bruegel the Elder is not yet visible in this early work. Marten van Cleve - The Blessing of the Bridal Bed

Marten van Cleve - The Blessing of the Bridal Bed

Van Cleve came under the influence of Pieter Bruegel the Elder's work in the 1560s. It is a certain resemblance with the work of Bruegel (particularly in the numbers of figures depicted), which has led to the often unjustifiable categorization of van Cleve as a follower of Bruegel. He was, however, never an imitator of that master. He took from Bruegel certain subjects and peasant types but was not interested in following some of the reactionary aspects of Bruegel's work such as the return to

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (; ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter from Duchy of Brabant, Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, gene ...

's surrealism and

Joachim Patinir Joachim Patinir, also called Patenier ( – 5 October 1524), was a Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, Flemish Renaissance painter of History painting, history and Landscape painting, landscape subjects. He was Flanders, Flemish, from the ar ...

world landscape The world landscape, a translation of the German ''Weltlandschaft'', is a type of composition in Western painting showing an imaginary panoramic landscape seen from an elevated viewpoint that includes mountains and lowlands, water, and buildings. ...

s. On the whole van Cleve's scenes are descriptive rather than allegorical.Marten van Cleve, ''The Good Shepherd''
at Sotheby's Van Cleve attempted to correct or modernize Bruegel by a higher level of interest in realism. He also depicted his scenes from a lower viewpoint than Bruegel. Another confirmed authentic work is the ''Slaughtered ox'' (

, Vienna), which is monogrammed with 'M(v)G' in ligature and dated 1566. It is quite similar to a work of a ''Slaughtered pig'' by Joachim Beukelaer. While Beuckelaer's work is clearly a still life, van Cleve's composition is a genre work which emphasizes the anecdotal and genre aspects of the work. Van Cleve's composition may also have an allegorical meaning. A little boy sitting on the threshold of the door is blowing a bubble. The bubble is in fact the bladder of the ox, at the time a children's toy. It is possible that the bubble-blowing boy is a reference to the ''homo bulla'' motive, the idea that life is just a bubble that only lasts a very short time. The dead ox itself is a reminder of death and is thus linked to the 'memento mori' idea, the notion that humans should remember that they are mortal. Together with the ''Carnival in a village with beggars dancing'' dated 1579 (

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the large ...

), the ''Slaughtered ox'' shows that van Cleve preferred a broad and free brushstroke. In the ''Carnival in a village with beggars dancing'' van Cleve has also used various motifs from Pieter Bruegel the Elder's works. Marten van cleve a visit to the wet nurse

Marten van cleve a visit to the wet nurse

Van Cleve developed a number of new themes such as the ''King Drinks'', the original of which is probably the painting sold at Kunsthandel Abels, Cologne in 1965. This theme invented by van Cleve became very popular in the next century. His 'The good shepherd' was another original creation, which was widely imitated. Many Flemish artists, and in particular

Pieter Brueghel the Younger Pieter Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Younger ( , ; ; between 23 May and 10 October 1564 – between March and May 1638) was a Flemish painting, Flemish painter known for numerous copies after his father Pieter Bruegel the Elder's ...

, were inspired by these subjects. Marten van Cleve is believed to have been an important influence on the development of Pieter Brueghel the Younger's style, along the more widely recognised precedent of his father, Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The peasant wedding was a favourite theme of Cleve. He returned frequently to this subject depicting its various rituals and ceremonies, mostly in the form of cycles of small-scale panels. His ''Wedding Procession'' was widely copied by his workshop as well as Pieter Brueghel the Younger. Another popular theme of van Cleve was ''The Massacre of the Innocents'' and his version of this subject was copied even more frequently than the version of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The attribution to van Cleve and his workshop of the various versions of the ''Massacre of the Innocents'' has been questioned on stylistic grounds, in particular on the basis of the fact that the more painterly handling of paint that is ascribed to van Cleve is missing in this body of work. Marten van Cleve collaborated with many prominent landscape painters, including

Gillis van Coninxloo Gillis van Coninxloo (now also referred to as Gillis van Coninxloo II but previously referred to as Gillis van Coninxloo III) (24 January 1544 – January 1607) was a Flemish painter of landscapes who played an important role in the development ...

Gillis Mostaert Gillis Mostaert the Elder (27 or 28 November 1528 – 28 December 1598) was a Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, Flemish Renaissance painter and draughtsman active in Antwerp in the second half of the 16th century.Jacob Grimmer as well as his brother Hendrick for whom he painted the figures. Hendrick reciprocated and added to Marten's figure-pieces landscape backgrounds. To Marten van Cleve have been attributed a lot of designs for prints published by the Antwerp printers and publishers including

Willem van Haecht Willem van Haecht (1593 – 12 July 1637) was a Flemish painter best known for his pictures of art galleries and collections. Life Willem van Haecht was born in Antwerp as the son of the landscape painter Tobias Verhaecht. Tobias Verhaecht ...

. It is believed that while apprenticed in the workshop of Frans Floris, Marten van Cleve assisted in the preparation of print designs after preliminary drawings made by Frans Floris. An example is van Cleve's signed drawing of ''Arachne'' (c. 1574,

Kupferstichkabinett Berlin The Kupferstichkabinett, or Museum of Prints and Drawings, is a Print room, prints museum in Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Berlin State Museums, and is located in the Kulturforum on Potsdamer Platz. It is the largest museum of graphic art ...

) made after Floris' design. This drawing was then used by

Philip Galle Philip (or Philips) Galle (1537 – March 1612) was a Dutch publisher, best known for publishing old master prints, which he also produced as designer and engraver. He is especially known for his reproductive engravings of paintings. Life Galle ...

as the basis for his engraving of ''Arachne'' or ''The textile industry''. In his prints, van Cleve remained closer to his master Floris's designs.Edward H. Wouk, ''Frans Floris (1519/20–70): Imagining a Northern Renaissance''. Brill, 2018, pp 183-184 Prominent engravers such as the Wierix brothers,

Hans Bol Hans Bol or Jan Bol (16 December 1534 – 20 November 1593), was a Southern Netherlands, Flemish painter, Miniature art, miniature painter, print artist and draftsman.

Philip Fruytiers Philip Fruytiers (1610–1666) was a Flemish Baroque painter and engraver. Until the 1960s, he was especially known for his miniature portraits in watercolor and gouache. Since then, several large canvases signed with the monogram PHF have bee ...

, Johann Sadeler, Balthazar van den Bos and

engraved the prints after van Cleve's designs.Prints after Marten van Cleve
at the Rijksmuseum

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleve, Marten van 1 Flemish Renaissance painters Flemish landscape painters Flemish genre painters Painters from Antwerp