Cornélius Van Poelenburgh (1594-1667) “bethsabée”

Attributed to Cornelius Van Poelenburgh. Born in 1594 in Utrecht, Cornelius Van Poelenburgh died in 1667. Oil on copper, old varnish cleaned. Dimensions: 27 x 24 cm excluding frame and 40 x 37 cm. Giltwood frame. Bathsheba, wife of Uriah the Hittite, an officer in King David's army, sits naked after her bath, a veil draped over her thighs. A young woman kneels, drying her feet, while Bathsheba, her torso turned towards King David's messenger, who desires her and wants her as his wife. Resigned, she eventually consents to his request. She wears a diadem and fine pearls in her ears; her white body in the center of the painting contrasts with the shaded landscape. A magnificent fountain sculpted with putti brings fresh water to Bathsheba's bath. On the balcony of his palace, King David admires the woman who will become his wife after the death of Uriah, killed in battle during an attack commanded by Joab. The painter Cornelius Van Poelenburgh painted numerous small, highly refined landscapes on copper; ours is an example, a biblical theme where figures, architecture, and nature intertwine. Cornelius Van Poelenburgh trained with Abraham Bloemaert, a Mannerist painter in Utrecht, and went to Rome in 1617 to complete his apprenticeship. He remained there for ten years, greatly influenced by Paul Bril and Adam Elsheimer. His Italian landscapes were a great success; he belonged to the first generation of Dutch Italianate landscape painters. In Florence, he worked for Grand Duke Cosimo II de' Medici. Upon returning to Utrecht, he established a workshop and surrounded himself with numerous students, including Daniel Vertangen, Dirck van der Lisse, and Jan van Haensberge. His small, stately paintings earned him the recognition of the authorities; "The Banquet of the Gods on Earth" was acquired and then presented to Amalia van Solms, the wife of Frederick Henry of Orange-Nassau. Rubens, passing through Utrecht, also purchased some of his works in 1627. He then went to England to work regularly for King Charles I. Museums: Utrecht, Florence, the Louvre, the Getty Museum, etc.