ANTHONISZ, Cornelis - b. ~1499 Amsterdam, d. ~1555 Amsterdam - WGA

ANTHONISZ, Cornelis

(b. ~1499 Amsterdam, d. ~1555 Amsterdam)

Netherlandish painter, etcher, and designer of woodcuts, maternal grandson of Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen. He was the dominant figure in the creation of north Netherlandish woodcuts from the mid-1530s until his death. His monogram, which combines the initials ‘C’ and ‘T’ with the staff and bell of St Anthony, was probably inspired by his father’s first name. He was active in Amsterdam and in 1544 made a large map of that city, now in the Weigh House there. He worked as a cartographer in the service of emperor Charles V and also painted group portraits, most notably the Civic Guard (Historical Museum, Amsterdam), an early example of a type for which Frans Hals later became renowned.

Banquet of Members of Amsterdam's Crossbow Civic Guard

The painting, known as the Banquet of Copper Coin, is the earliest example of a group portrait of guardsmen seated round a banquet table. It shows a rather primitive juxtaposition of single portraits. The stiff somewhat geometrical composition is characteristic of the early group pictures, and so is the bird’s-eye view of the table. The arrangement is simple. Fifteen of the seventeen guardsmen have been lined up in two rows, with only a weak attempt to bind them together. Some of the men are looking towards the spectator, some of them elsewhere. This variety of movement slightly relieves the monotony of the setting, but it endangers the unity. The relief-like arrangement in planes parallel to the surface is characteristic of the Renaissance style. So is the accentuation of the straight horizontal and vertical directions, both giving a certain architectural firmness to the composition.

After the middle of the sixteenth century painters of group portraits adopt a freer arrangement within a more natural space construction.

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Henry VIII of England on Horseback

Anthonisz painted this portrait of Henry VIII on horseback after the king had had his hair and beard cut short in 1535. The coat of arms and inscriptions make it quite clear whose portrait this is. ‘Dieu et mon droit’ is the motto of the British royal family. This woodcut was made in Amsterdam, but published in Antwerp by Hans Liefrinck. The colouring was added with great care. This was probably Liefrinck’s first issue of the series of royal portraits by Anthonisz.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 5 minutes):

Camille Saint-Saens: H�nri VIII, Scene and Henry’s aria

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Saint Crosspatch

This satirical, hand-coloured woodcut was made after a design by Cornelis Anthonisz. It is a parody in word and image, a parody of a devotional print in which a saint is depicted along with the prayers addressed to him or her. The woman riding on the ass with a halo around her head is a mock saint, not a real one. She is called St Crosspatch.

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