Christoffel van den Berghe

Monogrammed CVB

Provenance:

Private collection

 A brilliant artist, Christoffel van den Berghe provides us with the vision of a golden age in this delightful Pair of landscapes with a...

Monogrammed CVB

Provenance:

Private collection

 A brilliant artist, Christoffel van den Berghe provides us with the vision of a golden age in this delightful Pair of landscapes with a romantic scene. Each of these small coppers, showing scenes of summer and winter, convey with emotion the leisure activities of high society.

These two charming, unusually precise and refined coppers show the influence Flemish painting certainly had on Dutch landscape at the beginning of the 17th century. Both the composition and the use of sustained colours in these landscapes of summer and winter draw inspiration from the creations of Abel Grimmer, the undisputed master of paintings featuring the seasons, and even those of Roelandt Savery, Rudolf II of Austria’s favourite painter. It is clear that our artist held a pivotal position. On the one hand, he adopted the style of landscape and still life particular to the school of the Southern Netherlands, later modifying his perception thanks to a defining encounter with Mattheus Molanus in Middelburg, where he spent his life. From then on, he decided to punctuate his typically Flemish landscape with figures dressed in “Northern fashions”. This association turned out to be highly successful: similar to a pair kept at the Mauritshuis in The Hague , our pair is among some of the most eloquent examples of his art.

Summer is the season for open-air banquets, but also concerts. With a magnificent mansion in the background, the men and women of fashion have chosen to sit under a tree for their meal. They are entertained by a trio of string musicians. A dog lies at their feet, the symbol of marital love. It undoubtedly relates to the couple heading towards the table of guests. Food, silver and gold platters and carafes have been arranged in the foreground: perhaps these subtly arranged objects convey our painter’s taste for still life, a style he also practised?

As for the winter scene, it takes place on the banks of a frozen river. Under the perplexed gaze of a villager, two bourgeois couples venture out onto the ice. Wearing ice skates, the ladies are helped by their escorts who show them how to keep their balance. Further on, three villagers demonstrate their skills. A delightful landscape set in the ice can be seen in the distance, reminiscent of the Winter landscape and the imaginary castle at the Metropolitan in New York .

Christoffel van den Berghe constantly plays with the depth. Just like a miniaturist, he places his figures in a panoramic landscape. The delicate, sparkling colours are a source of contrasts. The décor is punctuated with the richly-coloured luxurious clothes of the men and women of fashion. Illuminated with a sparkling light, our two paintings are created in a harmony of deep blues, emerald greens and dazzling golden hues. An ode to the whims of winter and the pleasures of summer, these two paintings draw the viewer into the heart of the festivities of Dutch high society at the beginning of the 17th century.