Before the Ball by Petrus Van Schendel
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A single candle is the focal point of this intimate evening boudoir scene by van Schendel
Key Features
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- A mastery of light and composition distinguishes this outstanding painting by Petrus van Schendel
- Van Schendel was highly influenced by the works of the Old Dutch masters
- He uses the technique chiaroscuro, or the contrast between light and darkness
- This is one of the few paintings of an interior scene executed by this artist
- Signed "P. van Schendel.1835." (center left)
- Painted 1835
- Canvas:30" high x 25 1/4" wide Frame: 38" high x 34" wide
Item Details
- Width:
C: 25 1/4" F: 34" Inches - Height:
C:30" F: 38" Inches - Period:
19th Century - Origin:
Other Europe - Subject:
Miscellaneous - Artist:
Schendel, Petrus van
Petrus Van Schendel
1806-1870 · Dutch
Before the Ball
Signed and dated P. van Schendel fecit 1835 (center left)
Oil on Panel
Petrus van Schendel is probably best known for his outdoor market scenes, with their heavy ambiance and figures shrouded in a haze of mystery. This delightful and rare painting, Before the Ball, demonstrates this genre artist's ability to paint interior scenes with equal skill. Lauded for his mastery of nocturne scenes and overall warmth of composition, this painting depicts a family scene where a young girl is preparing in front of her vanity for an evening out. The protagonists are ambiguous. The elderly lady on the left could be either a mother or a maid and the gentleman helping the young woman either her doting brother or husband. In this painting, all of the protagonists are closely gathered around a single, glowing candle that illuminates the scene with a brilliant glow. This is a classic van Schendel composition that serves to illuminate the sitter and her attendants in a haunting, yet ephemeral light.
Van Schendel is considered by many art critics to be a master of light and atmosphere. Though he excelled in portraits as well, it is his nighttime genre scenes that have garnered substantial attention and acclaim. Born in the Netherlands, van Schendel was a student and exhibitor at the Antwerp Academy between 1822 and 1828, beginning his career as a genre and portrait painter. He traveled extensively and lived in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Den Haag, finally settling in Brussels in 1845 where he would spend the remainder of his life. It was during this time of constant relocating that van Schendel perfected his nocturnal scenes. His study of the 17th-century tradition of Dutch candlelit paintings allowed him to master the technique of chiaroscuro, or the contrast between light and darkness. This effect gives van Schendel's work the incredible level of naturalism seen in the current example.
Van Schendel was a Member of the Academy of Amsterdam, and of Arti Sacrum in Rotterdam. He exhibited at the Salons in Amsterdam, Antwerp and Den Haag between 1827 and 1867, with exhibitions at the Salons in Brussels, Gent and the Royal Academy in London soon after. He was awarded medals at most of these exhibitions, including a Gold Medal from the Brussels Exhibition in 1845.
Dated 1835
Canvas: 30" high x 25 1/4" wide
Frame: 38" high x 34" wide
Provenance:
Kunsthandel Pieter A. Scheen, The Hague
Purchased from the above by the present owner in the 1970s.
Literature:
Jan de Meere, Petrus van Schendel (1806-1870)
Een leven tussen licht en donker, Leiden, 2012, p. 71
fig. 57, illustrated (to be published November 2012)
1806-1870 · Dutch
Before the Ball
Signed and dated P. van Schendel fecit 1835 (center left)
Oil on Panel
Petrus van Schendel is probably best known for his outdoor market scenes, with their heavy ambiance and figures shrouded in a haze of mystery. This delightful and rare painting, Before the Ball, demonstrates this genre artist's ability to paint interior scenes with equal skill. Lauded for his mastery of nocturne scenes and overall warmth of composition, this painting depicts a family scene where a young girl is preparing in front of her vanity for an evening out. The protagonists are ambiguous. The elderly lady on the left could be either a mother or a maid and the gentleman helping the young woman either her doting brother or husband. In this painting, all of the protagonists are closely gathered around a single, glowing candle that illuminates the scene with a brilliant glow. This is a classic van Schendel composition that serves to illuminate the sitter and her attendants in a haunting, yet ephemeral light.
Van Schendel is considered by many art critics to be a master of light and atmosphere. Though he excelled in portraits as well, it is his nighttime genre scenes that have garnered substantial attention and acclaim. Born in the Netherlands, van Schendel was a student and exhibitor at the Antwerp Academy between 1822 and 1828, beginning his career as a genre and portrait painter. He traveled extensively and lived in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Den Haag, finally settling in Brussels in 1845 where he would spend the remainder of his life. It was during this time of constant relocating that van Schendel perfected his nocturnal scenes. His study of the 17th-century tradition of Dutch candlelit paintings allowed him to master the technique of chiaroscuro, or the contrast between light and darkness. This effect gives van Schendel's work the incredible level of naturalism seen in the current example.
Van Schendel was a Member of the Academy of Amsterdam, and of Arti Sacrum in Rotterdam. He exhibited at the Salons in Amsterdam, Antwerp and Den Haag between 1827 and 1867, with exhibitions at the Salons in Brussels, Gent and the Royal Academy in London soon after. He was awarded medals at most of these exhibitions, including a Gold Medal from the Brussels Exhibition in 1845.
Dated 1835
Canvas: 30" high x 25 1/4" wide
Frame: 38" high x 34" wide
Provenance:
Kunsthandel Pieter A. Scheen, The Hague
Purchased from the above by the present owner in the 1970s.
Literature:
Jan de Meere, Petrus van Schendel (1806-1870)
Een leven tussen licht en donker, Leiden, 2012, p. 71
fig. 57, illustrated (to be published November 2012)
