8.3 Connoisseurship
Tischbein’s anecdote from his visit to the collector Lubbeling's house shows that the described parlour game can be understood as a form of training in style criticism: training the eye through intuition; distinguishing features through comparison; identification of styles; naming criteria such as composition, light effects or brushwork. Terms and concepts were developed and practised in front of the artworks. In the end, connoisseurship had to be demonstrated through linguistic accurateness.
Various elements of the collective viewing of art as well as the conversation about art have been recorded in pictures. One example of such a scene can be seen in a painting and a drawing by Adriaan de Lelie (1755-1820). The artist grants a glimpse into the gallery of the famous Amsterdam merchant, patron and collector Josephus Augustinus Brentano (1753-1821) in his house on Herengracht. In addition to the collector and his family, those present include artists and art dealers who have come together in small groups and engaged in conversations about the works of art. Once again, the presentation of a collection gives an impression of what it might have looked like, in addition to representative claims on the part of the collector and client, as the example by Adriaan de Lelie shows [9].
Is it possible to see Tischbein's anecdote as an indicator of the appreciation that Rembrandt and Wouwerman received on the 18th-century art market? The answer may be surprising at first. A sample collected by Gerard Hoet shows that between 1684 and 1752, Wouwerman's paintings were on average almost twice as expensive as paintings by Rembrandt.1 However, the subjective esteem of collectors, translated into the monetary value that an artist receives on the art market does not necessarily have to be congruent with criteria of connoisseurship. The aesthetic taste of collectors is bound to individual personality traits and social habitus, also part of the added value.
How closely connoisseurship and collecting are related is demonstrated by Tischbein when he lists more than 30 names for an ideal Dutch Cabinet (in translation): 'To a good Cabinet belongs: a head by Rembrandt, an executed sketch by Rubens, one by Gerard Dou, by Mieris the Elder, and F. Mieris, two by Wouwerman, of his first manner and one of his last, Berchem, A. Cuyp, Ostade, Teniers, Brouwer, Metsu, ter Borch, one inside church by P. Neefs, still life with fruits by de Heem, flowers by van Huysum, oxen by Potter, one cattle piece by A. v. Velde, one calm sea by W. Velde, one stormy sea by Bakhuizen, Slingelandt, Schalken, van Dyck one portrait, Lievens, F. Brueghel, Hondecoeter, van der Werff, Poelenburch, Elsheimer, Rottenhammer, Snijders, Both, Lairesse' [10].2 This list shows connoisseurship, acquired inter alia in the parlour game 'art quiz'.3 This list is the result of Tischbein's journey through the Netherlands, which he incorporated into his memoirs. In this, Tischbein proves to be a keen observer, an accomplished connoisseur of Dutch art of the 17th century, and, at the same time, an excellent storyteller.
How topical Tischbein's considerations are is evidenced by a call by CODART, the international network of curators of Dutch and Flemish art, to establish a so-called ‘CODART Canon’ in the fall of 2019.4 The intention is that the canon should be equally devoted to Dutch and Flemish art, contain 100 masterpieces and provide the most adequate overview of early modern art production in the Low Countries. Despite the definition of various criteria, one is well aware that the selection is also based on personal preferences and can only be representative for a singular moment in (art)history. It is not much different from 200 years ago, when Tischbein recorded in his memoirs what, in his opinion, an ideal cabinet of Netherlandish painting should look like and which artists and works should be included. Against this background, Tischbein's 'canon', his individual engagement with the art of the 17th century and his connoisseurship are still relevant and revealing.
9
Adriaan de Lelie
Art gallery of Jan Gildemeester Jansz. (1744-1799) in his house at the Herengracht in Amsterdam, dated 1794-1795
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv./cat.nr. SK-A-4100
10
Wilhelm Tischbein
Original Manuscript of the Memoirs, detail, 1811
pen on paper
Oldenburg, Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte
Photo: Stefanie Rehm
Notes
1 Hoet 1752.
2 'Zu einem Guten Kabinet gehort. Ein Kopf von Rembrand, eine ausgefuhrte Skize von Rubens, eins von Gerhart Dau, vom alden Miris, und F. Miris, zwey von Wowerman von seiner ersten Manir und eins von seiner lezten, Bergheim, A. Keip Ostade, Tenniers, Brauer, Metsu, Terburg, eine in wentige Kirche von P. Neef, stilleben mit fruchte von De Heem, Blume von Heusum, Ochsen von Potter, ein fühstück von A. v. Velde, eine stille See von W. Velde, eine stürmische see von Backheusen, Schlingeland Schalken, v. Dey ein Portret, Liebens, F Bregel, Hondekoter, v. der Werf, Pulenburg, Elsheimer, Rottenhamer, Schneiers, Both, Laiarese'. Wilhelm Tischbein, Original Manuscript of the Memoirs, 1811, Oldenburg, Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, PT 26, p. 29.
3 The essay is based on the PhD thesis Tischbein und die Kunst des 'Goldenen Zeitalters' – Rezeptionsgeschichte(n) um 1800. The art from the Low Countries of the 17th century is often in the focus of art history, but rarely with regard to its reception history in Germany in the period around 1800. The study closes this gap using the example of the trip to the Netherlands by Wilhelm Tischbein and thereby gains new insights into aspects such as pictorial knowledge, dissemination and reception of 17th-century Dutch art. Relationships and exchange between artists and connoisseurs, agents and collectors are examined as well as the innovative role of the 'Goethe-Tischbein' – as a reliable eyewitness and skilled networker, he is way ahead of his time. Rehm 2020. On the Lubbeling collection and the parlour game: p. 75-105. On another example of Tischbein's netherlandish journey and an exceptional collector in Amsterdam: Rehm 2020A.
4 https://canon.codart.nl/ (01/03/2021).