DOI Heft:
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DOI Artikel:Brusewicz, Lech; Nason, Pieter [Ill.]: The paintings by Pieter Nason in polish collections
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18863#0013
«f The Portrait of an Old Woman with a Prayer Boo/c54, worthy of the paint brush of the old
Cuyp, early F. Boi or even Rembrandt. The face, fuli of light, treated in a "painterly" way
.as opposed to the "sculptural" one which is typical for Nason's other works, and the restrained
use of the expressive elements allow to treat this picture as an exceptional one and entirely
alien to the style reigning in the Hague56. The woman's eyes, fuli of spirit are painted with
the same ability, which can be observed in the paintings of the leading Amsterdam masters
■of the time. Bright, gleaming, piercing eyes appear to be in this — as well as in many other,
less remaikable, (e.g. the Portrait of Hendrik van Tuyll van Bulkenstein?6) Nason's works —
a psychological means to make the person portrayed, appeal to the spectator. This feature,
undoubtedly derived from the Amsterdam school, characterizes nearly always his portraits,
.also his court representations, adding to their idealized faces a certain amount of life and softness
as does also his other usual motif — probably also of Amsterdam origin — the glossy lips5'.
The fact that Nason's tet cher belonged to the Amsterdam school is confirmed also by other
ąualities of his style such as elegance of composition, dynamism of drawing and sculptural
modelling with light. The very combination of large and dark volum.es with the lighter, neutral
background and sharply drawn spots gives the model a certain mobility. The unified błock of
the body is almost always contrasted with the face by more or less sculpturally modelling with
colourful spots and lights, so that this formal difference in structure would attract the attention
•of the beholder. It would be difficult to find a similar duality of style in the works of J. van
Ravensteyn from the end of the 30s. The meticulousness in the representation of collar laces,
hair, beard or moustache, cannot be considered as an argument speaking for Nason's Hague
education. It should be kept in mind that he never tried to resist the temptation of portraying
.al] the features of face, clothes and accessories or to overcome the descriptive tendency, so
characteristic for minor Dutch masters. "The condensed image" was typical of the great Rem-
brandt, Hals, Vermeer. Nason just the contrary was always trying to show as detailed and
similar representation of the face as possible even if—at the same time — he was flattering
and embellishing. The portraits of Sophia Brederode (vide cat. No. 2) and that of Wilhelminę
van Waldeck58 (fig. 2), damaged as a result of repeated repainting and cleaning although painted
in an identical way, in the same composition scheme and with similar brushwork represent
•obviously two diffeient persons. Their original shape must have had something of the subdued
sensuality and charm of the Portrait of a Young Woman from the collection of the Hedstrom
family59 (fig. 3), which — reveal all the characteristic features of P. Nason's early style. The
subtle mastery of ł.he painter in using the light could have originated in Amsterdam only, just
like his excellent meticulousness, which caused some historian to conceive of Nason as an irai-
tator of B. van der Helst. I do not think we can speak of imitation here. Even in his portraits,
close in the mood to the J.G. Cuyp's masterpieces (Portrait of Maria Bogaert dated 1642G0,
fig. 1) Nason remained faithful to his descriptive way of painting. A transparent lace bonnet
with a flowery pattern on the back, the ornamental collar painted with the great precision,
.a triple golden chain on the neck, a tiny pendulum in the ear, an embroidery on the dress in
which no thread was left out, minutely rendered complexion, thanks to his understanding
54. In the Hyde Parker collection; photo: RKD.
55. C.H. Collins Baker, "Nederlandsche portretten in de Dulwich Gallery", Onxe Kunst, 1915, p. 108.
56. From the collection of the Zuylen Castle, Holland; photo: RKD.
57. The best example of the later period of use of this element in Nason*s art is Portrait of a Young Woman Leaning
on a Column, see: Cat. of "A. Hearn" auction, New York, 25/28-3-1918, no. 425, photo: RKD.
58. Lost during the World War II; until 1939 in "Wredowsche Kunstsammlung", Brandenburg — Beachreibendei
Verxeichnis der Gemiilde im Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum und Deulschen Museum, Berlin, 1931, no. 1457.
59. Formerly the portrait was ascribed with no justification to G. Honthorst; see: Cat. Hollandska Maslare,
Nationalmuseum Stockholm, 3 Mars—30 April 1967, no. 114.
•60. The relationship of this painting to the works by J. G. Cuyp was suggested also by Hofstede de Groot (see: arohives RKD).
7
Cuyp, early F. Boi or even Rembrandt. The face, fuli of light, treated in a "painterly" way
.as opposed to the "sculptural" one which is typical for Nason's other works, and the restrained
use of the expressive elements allow to treat this picture as an exceptional one and entirely
alien to the style reigning in the Hague56. The woman's eyes, fuli of spirit are painted with
the same ability, which can be observed in the paintings of the leading Amsterdam masters
■of the time. Bright, gleaming, piercing eyes appear to be in this — as well as in many other,
less remaikable, (e.g. the Portrait of Hendrik van Tuyll van Bulkenstein?6) Nason's works —
a psychological means to make the person portrayed, appeal to the spectator. This feature,
undoubtedly derived from the Amsterdam school, characterizes nearly always his portraits,
.also his court representations, adding to their idealized faces a certain amount of life and softness
as does also his other usual motif — probably also of Amsterdam origin — the glossy lips5'.
The fact that Nason's tet cher belonged to the Amsterdam school is confirmed also by other
ąualities of his style such as elegance of composition, dynamism of drawing and sculptural
modelling with light. The very combination of large and dark volum.es with the lighter, neutral
background and sharply drawn spots gives the model a certain mobility. The unified błock of
the body is almost always contrasted with the face by more or less sculpturally modelling with
colourful spots and lights, so that this formal difference in structure would attract the attention
•of the beholder. It would be difficult to find a similar duality of style in the works of J. van
Ravensteyn from the end of the 30s. The meticulousness in the representation of collar laces,
hair, beard or moustache, cannot be considered as an argument speaking for Nason's Hague
education. It should be kept in mind that he never tried to resist the temptation of portraying
.al] the features of face, clothes and accessories or to overcome the descriptive tendency, so
characteristic for minor Dutch masters. "The condensed image" was typical of the great Rem-
brandt, Hals, Vermeer. Nason just the contrary was always trying to show as detailed and
similar representation of the face as possible even if—at the same time — he was flattering
and embellishing. The portraits of Sophia Brederode (vide cat. No. 2) and that of Wilhelminę
van Waldeck58 (fig. 2), damaged as a result of repeated repainting and cleaning although painted
in an identical way, in the same composition scheme and with similar brushwork represent
•obviously two diffeient persons. Their original shape must have had something of the subdued
sensuality and charm of the Portrait of a Young Woman from the collection of the Hedstrom
family59 (fig. 3), which — reveal all the characteristic features of P. Nason's early style. The
subtle mastery of ł.he painter in using the light could have originated in Amsterdam only, just
like his excellent meticulousness, which caused some historian to conceive of Nason as an irai-
tator of B. van der Helst. I do not think we can speak of imitation here. Even in his portraits,
close in the mood to the J.G. Cuyp's masterpieces (Portrait of Maria Bogaert dated 1642G0,
fig. 1) Nason remained faithful to his descriptive way of painting. A transparent lace bonnet
with a flowery pattern on the back, the ornamental collar painted with the great precision,
.a triple golden chain on the neck, a tiny pendulum in the ear, an embroidery on the dress in
which no thread was left out, minutely rendered complexion, thanks to his understanding
54. In the Hyde Parker collection; photo: RKD.
55. C.H. Collins Baker, "Nederlandsche portretten in de Dulwich Gallery", Onxe Kunst, 1915, p. 108.
56. From the collection of the Zuylen Castle, Holland; photo: RKD.
57. The best example of the later period of use of this element in Nason*s art is Portrait of a Young Woman Leaning
on a Column, see: Cat. of "A. Hearn" auction, New York, 25/28-3-1918, no. 425, photo: RKD.
58. Lost during the World War II; until 1939 in "Wredowsche Kunstsammlung", Brandenburg — Beachreibendei
Verxeichnis der Gemiilde im Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum und Deulschen Museum, Berlin, 1931, no. 1457.
59. Formerly the portrait was ascribed with no justification to G. Honthorst; see: Cat. Hollandska Maslare,
Nationalmuseum Stockholm, 3 Mars—30 April 1967, no. 114.
•60. The relationship of this painting to the works by J. G. Cuyp was suggested also by Hofstede de Groot (see: arohives RKD).
7