Nicolaes Pietersz Berchem
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Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem (1 October 1620 – 18 February 1683) was a highly esteemed and prolific
Dutch Golden Age painter Dutch Golden Age painting is the painting of the Dutch Golden Age, a period in Dutch history roughly spanning the 17th century, during and after the later part of the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) for Dutch independence. The new Dutch Repub ...
of pastoral landscapes, populated with mythological or biblical figures, but also of a number of allegories and genre pieces. He was a member of the second generation of "Dutch Italianate landscape" painters. These were artists who travelled to Italy, or aspired to, in order to soak up the romanticism of the country, bringing home sketchbooks full of drawings of classical ruins and pastoral imagery. His paintings, of which he produced an immense number, (
Hofstede de Groot Cornelis Hofstede de Groot (9 November 1863 – 14 April 1930), was a Dutch art collector, art historian and museum curator. Life He was born in Dwingeloo and spent some time in Switzerland in his youth due to weak lungs, where he learned Germa ...
claimed around 850, although many are misattributed), were in great demand, as were his 80 etchings and 500 drawings. His landscapes, painted in the Italian style of idealized rural scenes, with hills, mountains, cliffs and trees in a golden dawn are sought after. Berchem also painted inspired and attractive human and animal figures (
staffage In painting, staffage () are the human and animal figures depicted in a scene, especially a landscape, that are not the primary subject matter of the work. Typically they are small, and there to add an indication of scale and add interest. Before ...
) in works of other artists, like
Allaert van Everdingen Allaert van Everdingen (, bapt. 18 June 16218 November 1675 (buried)), was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker in etching and mezzotint. Biography Van Everdingen was born at Alkmaar, the son of a government clerk. He and his older b ...
, Jan Hackaert,
Gerrit Dou Gerrit Dou (7 April 1613 – 9 February 1675), also known as Gerard Douw or Dow, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, whose small, highly polished paintings are typical of the Leiden fijnschilders. He specialised in genre scenes and is noted for his '' ...
,
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 ...
and
Willem Schellinks Willem Schellinks (1623–1678), was a Dutch painter, draughtsman and etcher of landscapes and marine scenes and also a poet. Willem Schellinks was one of the most widely traveled Dutch artists of his time. He traveled along the Loire and the S ...
.


Biography

Born in
Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...
, he received instruction from his father
Pieter Claesz Pieter Claesz (c. 1597 – 1 January 1660) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of still lifes. Biography He was born in Berchem, Belgium, near Antwerp, where he became a member of the Guild of St. Luke in 1620. He moved to Haarlem in 1620, where his ...
, and from the painters
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 landscapesm marines, river landscapes, beach scenes, winter landscape, cityscap ...
,
Pieter de Grebber Pieter Fransz de Grebber (c.1600–1652/3Between September 24, 1652, and January 29, 1653) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Life De Grebber was born in Haarlem, the oldest son of Frans Pietersz de Grebber (1573–1643), a painter and embr ...
,
Jan Baptist Weenix Jan Baptist Weenix, also spelled Jan Baptiste Weeninx (1621–c. 1659) was a painter of the Dutch Golden Age. Despite his relatively brief career, he was a very productive and versatile painter. His favourite subjects were Italian land ...
,
Jan Wils Jan Wils (22 February 1891 – 11 February 1972) was a Dutch architect. He was born in Alkmaar and died in Voorburg. Wils was one of the founding members of the De Stijl movement, which also included artists as Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg ...
and Claes Cornelisz. Moeyaert.Nicolaes Pietersz Berchem
at the
Netherlands Institute for Art History The Netherlands Institute for Art History or RKD (Dutch: RKD-Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis), previously Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), is located in The Hague and is home to the largest art history center i ...
According to Houbraken,
Carel de Moor Carel de Moor (25 February 1655 – 16 February 1738) was a Dutch Golden Age etcher and painter. He was a pupil of Gerard Dou. Biography Carel de Moor was born in Leiden. According to Houbraken, his father was an art dealer who wanted him to s ...
told him that Berchem got his name from two words "Berg hem" for "Save him!", an expression used by his fellows in Van Goyen's workshop whenever his father chased him there with the intent to beat him.Nikolaas Berchem Biography
in ''De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen'' (1718) by
Arnold Houbraken Arnold Houbraken (28 March 1660 – 14 October 1719) was a Dutch painter and writer from Dordrecht, now remembered mainly as a biographer of Dutch Golden Age painters. Life Houbraken was sent first to learn ''threadtwisting'' (Twyndraat) fr ...
, courtesy of the
Digital library for Dutch literature The Digital Library for Dutch Literature (Dutch: Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren or DBNL) is a website (showing the abbreviation as dbnl) about Dutch language and Dutch literature. It contains thousands of literary texts, second ...
No trip or Grand Tour by Berchem was documented by Houbraken though he mentioned another story about the "Berg hem!" nickname which came from Berchem's conscription as a sailor; the man in charge of
impressment Impressment, colloquially "the press" or the "press gang", is the taking of men into a military or naval force by compulsion, with or without notice. European navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means. The large size of ...
knew him and sent him ashore with the words "Save him!". Today his name is assumed to come from his father's hometown of Berchem, Antwerp. According to the RKD he traveled to Italy with Jan Baptist Weenix, whom he called his cousin, in 1642–5. Works by him are signed both as "CBerghem" and "Berchem". In 1645 he became a member of the Dutch reformed church and married the year after. According to Houbraken he married the daughter of the painter Jan Wils, who kept him on a short allowance, but to finance his collection of prints he would borrow money from his pupils and colleagues and pay them back from the proceeds of paintings that he didn't tell her about. Around 1650 he travelled to
Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...
with
Jacob van Ruisdael 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 achi ...
, where a dated piece showing
Burg Bentheim Bentheim Castle (german: Burg Bentheim) is an early medieval hill castle in Bad Bentheim, Lower Saxony, Germany. The castle is first mentioned in the 11th century under the name ''binithem''. Situation The castle is built on a protrusion of Ben ...
is recorded. Maybe Berchem went to Italy after this trip and before he moved to
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
- he is not clearly documented in the Netherlands between 1650 and 1656. Around 1660 he worked for the engraver
Jan de Visscher Jan de Visscher (ca.1636, Haarlem – 1692-1712, Amsterdam), was a Dutch Golden Age engraver who became a painter in later life. Biography According to Houbraken he was an able etcher who made famous prints (in his lifetime) after the works ...
designing an atlas. In 1661-1670 he is registered in Amsterdam and in 1670 he moved back to Haarlem, but was living back in Amsterdam by 1677, where he died in 1683. He was a popular teacher and his pupils were
Abraham Begeyn Abraham Begeyn (c. 1637 Leiden – 11 June 1697 Berlin), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Begeyn was born in Leiden. Though perhaps known mostly for his ''Italianate'' landscapes and cattle in the manner of Nicolaes Pietersz Berchem, ...
,
Johannes van der Bent Johannes van der Bent (–1690), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography According to Houbraken he was a student of Philips Wouwerman and Adriaen van de Velde. His birthdate is uncertain, but he was judged to be about forty when he died of tu ...
, his son
Nicolaes Nicolaes is a given name that is spelled Nicolaas in modern Dutch. Notable people * Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem (1620–1683), Dutch Golden Age painter * Nicolaes Boddingius (1605–1669), Dutch schoolmaster, writer and minister *Nicolaes Borrem ...
, Isaack Croonenbergh, Simon Dubois,
Karel Dujardin Karel Dujardin (September 27, 1626November 20, 1678) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Although he did a few portraits and a few history paintings of religious subjects, most of his work is small Italianate landscape scenes with animals and peasan ...
,
Johannes Glauber Johannes Glauber (1646, Utrecht (city) – c. 1726, Schoonhoven), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography According to Houbraken he became a painter against the wishes of his father, the chemist Johann Rudolph Glauber (1604–1670), and b ...
,
Pieter de Hooch Pieter de Hooch (, also spelled "Hoogh" or "Hooghe"; 20 December 1629 (baptized) – 24 March 1684 (buried)) was a Dutch Golden Age painter famous for his genre works of quiet domestic scenes with an open doorway. He was a contemporary of ...
, Jacob van Huchtenburg,
Justus van Huysum Justus van Huysum, also spelled Huijsum, (July 8, 1659 in Amsterdam – April 23, 1716 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Justus Van Huysum is the son of the decorative painter Jan van Huysum the Elder, who moved to Ams ...
,
Dirk Maas Dirk Maas (12 September 1659 – 25 December 1717), was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. Biography Maas was born and died in Haarlem. According to Houbraken he was first a pupil of Hendrick Mommers, a Haarlem painter of vegetable market ...
,
Hendrick Mommers Hendrick Mommers (bapt. 2 January 1620, in Amsterdam – buried 21 December 1693, in Amsterdam), was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. Biography According to Houbraken he was a Haarlem painter of vegetable market scenes, who was the first tea ...
,
Jacob Ochtervelt Jacob Ochtervelt (1634 in Rotterdam – 1682 in Amsterdam), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Ochtervelt's contemporaries included Vermeer, Ter Borch, and De Hooch. Despite his prolific work, he was ignored by the three major 17th ...
,
Willem Romeyn Willem Romeyn (ca.1624, Haarlem – after 1693), was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. Biography According to the RKD, Romeyn was a pupil of Nicolaes Berchem in Haarlem in 1642.Jan Frans Soolmaker.Jan Frans Soolmaker
at the Netherlands Institute for Art History
He was the uncle of
Govert van der Leeuw Gabriel, or Govert van der Leeuw (1645–1688), was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. Biography He was the brother of Pieter van der Leeuw, and they learned to paint from their father, the painter Bastiaan Govertsz van der Leeuw, who had bee ...
and his brother Pieter. The French Rococo painter
Jean-Baptiste Pillement Jean-Baptiste Pillement (Lyon, 24 May 1728 – Lyon, 26 April 1808) was a French painter and designer, known for his exquisite and delicate landscapes, but whose importance lies primarily in the engravings done after his drawings, and their infl ...
was influenced by his works, as was the Dutch 'Cleves Romanticism' landscape painter,
Barend Cornelis Koekkoek Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (October 11, 1803 – April 5, 1862) was a Dutch landscape artist and lithographer. Biography Early life: 1803–1824 Barend Cornelis Koekkoek was born on 11 October 1803, in Middelburg, Zeeland. He was the first and el ...
.


Further reading

*
Neil MacLaren Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. ...
, ''The Dutch School, 1600-1800, Volume I'', 1991, National Gallery Catalogues'', National Gallery, London,


Gallery

File:Berchem - Milkmaids.jpg, ''Milkmaids and Shepherds with their Flock at the Mouth of a Grotto, a Drover Watering his Cattle beyond'', oil on canvas. File:Berchem - Peasant Couple.jpg, ''A Peasant Couple by a Tree with Cattle and Sheep'', pen and brown ink, brown wash, incised for transfer, pen and brown ink framing lines. File:A Southern Harbour Scene by Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem.jpg, A Southern Harbour Scene File:Berchem 65Moor.jpg, A Moor Presenting a Parrot to a Lady File:Berchem, Nicolaes ~ Landscape with Herdsmen Gathering Sticks, early 1650s, oil on panel, private collection, New York.jpg, Landscape with Herdsmen Gathering Sticks File:Berchem, Nicolaes Pietersz. - Paul and Barnabas at Lystra - 1650.jpg,
Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
and
Barnabas Barnabas (; arc, ܒܪܢܒܐ; grc, Βαρνάβας), born Joseph () or Joses (), was according to tradition an early Christian, one of the prominent Christian disciples in Jerusalem. According to Acts 4:36, Barnabas was a Cypriot Jew. Name ...
at
Lystra Lystra ( grc, Λύστρα) was a city in central Anatolia, now part of present-day Turkey. It is mentioned six times in the New Testament. Lystra was visited several times by Paul the Apostle, along with Barnabas or Silas. There Paul met a young ...
File:Berchem Winter Landscape P71 pl 85 cor.jpg, Nicolaes Berchem, "Winter Landscape," 1652, photo by Caldesi & Montecchi, 1857


References


External links

*
Gallery of works

Works by Nicolaes Berchem at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

rijksmuseum.nl



Berchem in Italy: notes on an unpublished painting
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berchem, Nicolaes Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters 1620 births 1683 deaths Artists from Haarlem Painters from Haarlem