This book is the result of a hobby gone out of hand. After my retirement I began to translate the 1707 Dutch edition of Gerard de Lairesseâs Groot Schilderboek into English without having a clear purpose in mind. Gradually, the marginal notes grew into a book by itself, whereas the translation proper was reduced to the rank of an appendix.1
The present book ensued from the previous one quite naturally: it started with the translation of the Uytbreyding over de Schilderkonst der Ouden (Disquisition on the Art of the Ancients), Weyermanâs paraphrase of Plinyâs famous Historia Naturalis, chapter XXXV. In both cases I enjoyed the juggling with words and their meaning in two languages; maybe I should say three, the difference between the Dutch of 1729 and that of 2019 being considerable. In cases like these, the choice is between a professional translator who is not an art historian, and a specialised art historian who is an amateur translator at best.
Gradually my attention shifted to the rest of De Levens-Beschryvingen der Nederlandsche Konst-schilders en Konst-schilderessen, comprising over 1000 pages of early modern artistsâ biographies, which then became the main subject of my study. I found that Weyermanâs book opens new perspectives on late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century painting, the art criticism of the period, and the social position of painters, successful masters as well as their failed colleagues.
The oeuvre of Weyerman is a rich source of information on Dutch history and culture of the early eighteenth century, and the Levens-Beschryvingen are no exception in this respect, but I tried not to transgress the boundaries of my limited expertise. The Stichting Jacob Campo Weyerman studies all aspects of his extensive literary heritage that are beyond my competence. In my translation of shorter passages and longer sections, the literary quality of Weyermanâs text may have lost some of its lustre, but my first purpose was to stimulate my non-Dutch colleagues to use Weyermanâs book and to make it easier to consult this important contemporary source of information on the early modern art of the Netherlands.
Work on the Levens-Beschryvingen was made extra rewarding by the generous help I received from different sides. Eva Boom assigned the extensive notes she made during her research on Weyermanâs four volumes of artistsâ biographies to me. This precious gift helped and inspired me throughout the years I worked on this project. In writing the last chapter of this book, I got much help from Rietje van Vliet and Jac Fuchs, active members of the Weyerman foundation; their help was invaluable, especially since this was the first section of the book I put on paper. In the chapters now preceding it, the indefatigable Jac Fuchs provided me with fascinating information on Weyermanâs English sources. Jan de Jong, Eric Jan Sluijter and the late Ton Broos also gave very valuable suggestions. The pilotage of Walter S. Melion steered my text to the safe harbour of Brill, where I was received by very dedicated editors. The comments of Walter and two anonymous reviewers helped me tremendously to make the book more accessible for readers who are not familiar with Weyerman and his work. In the last phases of my work, my wife Johanneke helped me to edit my text and make it more perspicuous. Without her unconditional and lasting support there would have been no book at all.
Note to the Reader
Abbreviations in the footnotes refer to the bibliography as follows:
De Bie: G. Lemmens (ed.), Cornelis de Bie. Het Gulden Cabinet van de edel vry Schilderconst
DD: D. Durand, Histoire de la Peinture Ancienne, extraite de lâHist. Naturelle de Pline, Liv. XXXV
Dubos: J. P. Mariette (ed.), Jean-Baptiste Dubos, Reflexions critiques sur la poesie et sur la peinture
Dürer: H. Rupprich (ed.), Schriftlicher Nachlaà GdL: G. de Lairesse, Groot Schilderboek â¦
JCW: J.C. Weyerman, De Levens-Beschryvingen der Nederlandsche Konst-schilders en Konstschilderessen, met een Uytbreyding over de Schilder-konst der Ouden
Junius: K. Aldrich a.o., Franciscus Junius. The Literature of Classical Art
Loeb: H. Rackham (ed.), Pliny. Natural History, vol. ix
Van Mander: H. Miedema (ed.), Karel van Mander, The Lives of the illustrious Netherlandish and German Painters
Pliny: J. Bostock a.o., Pliny the Elder. The Natural History
WNT: M. de Vries, L.A. te Winkel, Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal
The fourth volume of the Levens-Beschryvingen is paginated from 1 to 92 and from 1 to 475.
The first section is here indicated as vol. IV, the second as vol. V.
De Vries 2011 Beauty.