Leonaert Bramer
Encyclopedia
Leonaert/Leonard Bramer alias Nestelghat (24 December 1596 - 10 February 1674 (buried)) was a Dutch
painter, best known for probably being one of the teachers of Johannes Vermeer
, although there is no similarity between their work. Bramer's dark and exotic style is unlike Vermeer's style. Bramer was primarily a genre
and history painter, but also made some unique fresco
s, not very often found north of the Alps. Leonaert Bramer is one of the most intriguing personalities in seventeenth-century Dutch art. He was a talented and diligent draughtsman, evidently Roman Catholic and a lifelong bachelor.
Bramer was born in Delft
. In 1614, at the age of 18, he left on a long trip eventually reaching Rome
in 1616, via Atrecht
, Amiens
, Paris
, Aix
(February 1616), Marseille
, Genoa
, and Livorno
. In Rome he was one of the founders of the Bentvueghels
group of Northern artists. He lived with Wouter Crabeth and got into a fight with Claude Lorraine. He dedicated a poem to Wybrand de Geest
. Bramer remained on and off in Rome until October 1627, visiting Mantua
and Venice
, often for deliveries and to meet Domenico Fetti
. In Italy Bramer was nicknamed Leonardo della Notte ("Leonardo of the night"). In 1648 he went to Rome for a second time.
By 1628 he was back in Delft, where he joined the Guild of Saint Luke
in 1629 and the schutterij
. Among his many patrons were members of the House of Orange, but local burgomaster
s and schepen
also bought his paintings in great numbers. He was a many sided artist, designing for tapestry
firms in Delft, painting murals and ceilings, some of which are illusionistic in style. He painted real frescos in the Civic Guard house, the nearby stadholder's palaces in Honselersdijk
, Rijswijk
, the Communal Land Housde and the Prinsenhof
in Delft. Due to the Dutch climate they no longer survive.
He evidently knew the greatest of his Delft contemporaries, Johannes Vermeer, as he came to the latter's defence when his future mother-in-law was trying to prevent him from marrying her daughter.
Bramer remained very productive until his death, which occurred in his home town of Delft in 1674. His style is nervous, but his technique, painting the reflection of light, is very good. His famous "Album Bramer" (drawn between 1642–1654, now in Leiden) contains many sketches after paintings in Delft collections. He was influenced by Adam Elsheimer
, Agostino Tassi
, a fresco painter.
Upon his death, his works were offered for sale in 1674 in an advertisement in the Haarlems Dagblad
, probably necessary because of the (depressed) Dutch economy:
From his inventory it is clear that Gaspar Roomer
owned 1500 drawings. Among his drawings, probably the most puzzling set are those he titled "Straatwerken," meaning "street works."
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
painter, best known for probably being one of the teachers of Johannes Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer
Johannes, Jan or Johan Vermeer was a Dutch painter who specialized in exquisite, domestic interior scenes of middle class life. Vermeer was a moderately successful provincial genre painter in his lifetime...
, although there is no similarity between their work. Bramer's dark and exotic style is unlike Vermeer's style. Bramer was primarily a genre
Genre painting
Genre works, also called genre scenes or genre views, are pictorial representations in any of various media that represent scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes. Such representations may be realistic, imagined, or...
and history painter, but also made some unique fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
s, not very often found north of the Alps. Leonaert Bramer is one of the most intriguing personalities in seventeenth-century Dutch art. He was a talented and diligent draughtsman, evidently Roman Catholic and a lifelong bachelor.
Life
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
. In 1614, at the age of 18, he left on a long trip eventually reaching Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1616, via Atrecht
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
, Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Aix
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
(February 1616), Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, and Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
. In Rome he was one of the founders of the Bentvueghels
Bentvueghels
The Bentvueghels were a society of mostly Dutch and Flemish artists active in Rome from about 1620 to 1720. They are also known as the Schildersbent .-Activities:...
group of Northern artists. He lived with Wouter Crabeth and got into a fight with Claude Lorraine. He dedicated a poem to Wybrand de Geest
Wybrand de Geest
Wybrand Simonsz. de Geest was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter from Friesland.-Biography:...
. Bramer remained on and off in Rome until October 1627, visiting Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, often for deliveries and to meet Domenico Fetti
Domenico Fetti
Domenico Fetti was an Italian Baroque painter active mainly in Rome, Mantua and Venice.-Biography:...
. In Italy Bramer was nicknamed Leonardo della Notte ("Leonardo of the night"). In 1648 he went to Rome for a second time.
By 1628 he was back in Delft, where he joined the Guild of Saint Luke
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 identified by John of Damascus as having painted the...
in 1629 and the schutterij
Schutterij
Schutterij refers to a voluntary city guard or citizen militia in the medieval and early modern Netherlands, intended to protect the town or city from attack and act in case of revolt or fire. Their training grounds were often on open spaces within the city, near the city walls, but, when the...
. Among his many patrons were members of the House of Orange, but local burgomaster
Burgomaster
Burgomaster is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration...
s and schepen
Schepen
A schepen is a Dutch word referring to a municipal civic office in Dutch-speaking countries. The term is still in use in Belgium, but it has been replaced by wethouder in the Netherlands. The closest English terms are alderman, member of the municipal executive, councillor and magistrate,...
also bought his paintings in great numbers. He was a many sided artist, designing for tapestry
Tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
firms in Delft, painting murals and ceilings, some of which are illusionistic in style. He painted real frescos in the Civic Guard house, the nearby stadholder's palaces in Honselersdijk
Honselersdijk
Honselersdijk is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about southwest of The Hague.The village of "Honselersdijk" has a population of around 5180....
, Rijswijk
Rijswijk
Rijswijk is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a suburb of The Hague and covers an area of 14.48 km² ....
, the Communal Land Housde and the Prinsenhof
Prinsenhof
The Prinsenhof in Delft in the Netherlands is an urban palace built in the Middle Ages as a monastery. Later it served as a residence for William the Silent. The building still exists and now houses the municipal museum...
in Delft. Due to the Dutch climate they no longer survive.
He evidently knew the greatest of his Delft contemporaries, Johannes Vermeer, as he came to the latter's defence when his future mother-in-law was trying to prevent him from marrying her daughter.
Bramer remained very productive until his death, which occurred in his home town of Delft in 1674. His style is nervous, but his technique, painting the reflection of light, is very good. His famous "Album Bramer" (drawn between 1642–1654, now in Leiden) contains many sketches after paintings in Delft collections. He was influenced by Adam Elsheimer
Adam Elsheimer
Adam Elsheimer was a German artist working in Rome who died at only thirty-two, but was very influential in the early 17th century. His relatively few paintings were small scale, nearly all painted on copper plates, of the type often known as cabinet paintings. They include a variety of light...
, Agostino Tassi
Agostino Tassi
Agostino Tassi was an Italian painter, mostly of landscapes and seascapes, who is now best known as the rapist of Artemisia Gentileschi....
, a fresco painter.
Upon his death, his works were offered for sale in 1674 in an advertisement in the Haarlems Dagblad
Haarlems Dagblad
The Haarlems Dagblad is a regional newspaper in Haarlem, the Netherlands. It makes claim to being the newspaper with the oldest publishing history in the world, even if this claim is based on its merger with another title....
, probably necessary because of the (depressed) Dutch economy:
From his inventory it is clear that Gaspar Roomer
Gaspar Roomer
Gaspar Roomer was a prominent Flemish merchant and art patron of the early 17th century. Born in Antwerp, he lived for at least four decades in Naples. He became very wealthy from shipping enterprises, mainly to the Flemish and Dutch provinces and from banking. he owned Palazzo della Stella in...
owned 1500 drawings. Among his drawings, probably the most puzzling set are those he titled "Straatwerken," meaning "street works."
Sources
- Haak, B. (2003) Hollandse schilders in de Gouden Eeuw, p. 324.
- BRINK GOLDSMITH, JANE TEN A.O. Leonaert Bramer. 1596-1674. Ingenious painter and draughtsman in Rome and Delft. Zwolle, 1994.
- Liedtke, W. (2007) Dutch paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 87-89.
- Filippo BaldinucciFilippo BaldinucciFilippo Baldinucci was an Italian art historian and biographer.-Life:Baldinucci is considered among the most significant Florentine biographers/historians of the artists and the arts of the Baroque period...
's Artists in biographies by Filippo BaldinucciArtists in biographies by Filippo BaldinucciFilippo Baldinucci's Notizie de' Professori del Disegno, Da Cimabue in qua, Secolo V. dal 1610. al 1670. Distinto in Decennali was a major art biography of Baroque painters...
, 1610–1670, p. 197 Google books
External links to his works
- Works at WGA
- Leonard Bramer at the Netherlands Institute for Art History
- http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/bramer_leonaert.html