Cornelis de Vos, a younger contemporary and friend of Rubens, enjoyed showing off his skills in different genres. His talent however is mainly revealed in the citizens’ portraits, which he painted between 1620 and 1640. This family portrait shows that he is a master when it comes to the composition of group portraits and the portrayal of children. He is one of the first artists who chooses not to portray children, in spite of their pose and elaborate festive clothes, as small adults but instead emphasizes the spontaneity and openness that comes with their young age. The composition of this Family Portrait is clear and transparent, and reveals considerable craftsmanship in the representation of the fabrics and a remarkably natural style in the eyes and gestures of the people portrayed. De Vos does not indulge in a character study; he always remains a cool and objective onlooker. The family portrait also has a moralizing significance. The red apple refers to fertility and the seventeenth-century bourgeois marriage ethic that was aimed at reproduction.
| Artist |
Cornelis de Vos
RKD
Wikidata
|
|---|---|
| Title | Family Portrait |
| Date | ca. 1630 - ca. 1635 |
| Period | 17th century |
| Collection | paintings AAT |
| Object type | oil paintings (visual works) AAT |
| Inventory number | 1958-I |
| Acquisition credit |
gift
The Friends of the Museum Ghent 1958 |
| Current whereabouts | Work on display |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1958-I |
| IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/2571/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus |
300015637
portraits
AAT
300189808 figures (representations) AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
11D1
symbols and prefigurations of Christ
Iconclass
11D12 the cross ~ symbols of Christ Iconclass 11D42 devotion ~ Christ Iconclass 31A25 postures and gestures of arms and hands Iconclass 31A252 postures and gestures of arms and hands in relation to each other Iconclass 31A2551 postures and gestures of the hand Iconclass 31A71 male sex; man Iconclass 31A72 female sex; woman Iconclass 31D112 child Iconclass 31D1121 tot, toddler ~ the ages of man Iconclass 31D11221 boy (child between toddler and youth) Iconclass 31D11222 girl (child between toddler and youth) Iconclass 31D120 Youth, Adolescence, 'Iuventus'; 'Adolescenza', 'Gioventu' (Ripa) Iconclass 31D130 Maidenhood Iconclass 31D14 adult man Iconclass 31D15 adult woman Iconclass 41A721 chairs (furniture forms) Iconclass 41A722 couch, sofa, settee Iconclass 41C653 fruit Iconclass 41C653(APPLE) fruit (APPLE) Iconclass 41D1 fashion Iconclass 41D2 clothes, costume Iconclass 41D211 dress, gown Iconclass 41D212 coat, cape Iconclass 41D221(FALL HAT) head-gear (FALL HAT) Iconclass 41D222(COLLAR) neck-gear: collar Iconclass 41D225 gloves, mittens, etc. Iconclass 41D24 clothes for special purposes Iconclass 41D26 accessories (~ clothing) Iconclass 41D266 ornaments, jewels Iconclass 41D2661 necklace Iconclass 41D26611 pearl; pearl necklace Iconclass 41D26612 pendant, trinket, 'breloque' Iconclass 41D2662 bracelet, wristlet Iconclass 41D2663 ear-rings Iconclass 41D2664 ring Iconclass 41D2666 diadem, tiara Iconclass 42B74 family group, especially parents with their child(ren) Iconclass 42G2111 father (first degree family relationships) Iconclass 42G2112 mother (first degree family relationships) Iconclass 42G2121 son (first degree family relationships) Iconclass 42G2122 daughter (first degree family relationships) Iconclass 42G2221 brothers (second degree family relationships) Iconclass 42G2222 sisters (second degree family relationships) Iconclass 46A131 bourgeoisie, middle class, citizens, burghers Iconclass 46A16 the rich Iconclass 48C16 architectural detail Iconclass 48C161 column, pillar ~ architecture Iconclass 61B2 historical persons Iconclass 61BB113 anonymous historical persons portrayed in a group, in a group-portrait - BB - woman Iconclass 61BB2 historical persons - BB - woman Iconclass |
| School / Style | Baroque AAT |
| Martin De Vos, Pieter De Vos, Cornelis De Vos (Fonds Richard de Moor). - [s.l.] : [s.n.], [s.a.] |
| Art in America : Notes on some pictures in American private collections / W. Martin. - [s.l.] : [s.n.], [s.a.] (XIV, p. 51-60) |
| De portretten van Cornelis de Vos (1584- '5 - 1651): een kritische catalogus / Katlijne Van der Stighelen. - Brussel : Paleis der Academiën, 1990 (p. 180-183) |
| 'Familieportret van Cornelis de Vos als nieuw', in: Museumkrant. De Vrienden / Katlijne Van der Stighelen. - [s.l.] : [s.n.], [s.a.] |
| 'Cornelis de Vos, Familieportret', in: Bulletin Koninklijk Instituut voor het / R. Guislain-Wittermann. - Brussel : [s.n.] : [s.a.] (p. 252-253) |
| 200 jaar verzamelen : Collectieboek Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent / Arnout Balis, Robert Hoozee, Maximiliaan P.J. Martens, Paul Van Haute. - Gent : Ludion, 2000 (p. 273 (ill. 42)) |
| Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : Catalogus schilderkunst ; Deel I: 14de - 18de eeuw ; Deel II: 19de - 20ste eeuw / Robert Hoozee, Johan De Smet, Bruno Fornari, Ruth Monteyne. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2007 (dl. I, p. 32 (ill.), 162-163 (ill.)) |
| Het Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : een keuze uit de mooiste werken / Patrick De Rynck. - Gent : Ludion, 2007 (p. 39 (ill.)) |
| Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : De collectie (tentoonstelling vanaf 21 maart 2021) / Johan De Smet, Bart Ooghe, Frederica Van Dam, Lieven Van Den Abeele, Cathérine Verleysen. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2021 |
| Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand : La Collection (exposition dès le 21 mars 2021) / Johan De Smet, Bart Ooghe, Frederica Van Dam, Lieven Van Den Abeele, Cathérine Verleysen. - Gand : Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand, 2021 |
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