UYTTENBROECK, Moyses Matheusz van - b. ~1595 Den Haag, d. ~1647 Den Haag - WGA

UYTTENBROECK, Moyses Matheusz van

(b. ~1595 Den Haag, d. ~1647 Den Haag)

Moyses Matheusz van Uyttenbroeck (also Moses van Wtenbrouck), Dutch painter and etcher. He was the younger brother of the painter Jan (Matheusz.) van Uyttenbroeck (c. 1581-1651), who was accepted into the Guild of St Luke in The Hague in 1614. Moyses van Uyttenbroeck was a contemporary of the group of history painters now known as the Pre-Rembrandtists, who were active in Amsterdam. However, compared with the varied repertory of subjects depicted by the Pre-Rembrandtists, his range was limited, being mainly centred on themes from the Old Testament and Classical mythology, the latter usually based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses. He also painted pastoral scenes, which are often difficult to distinguish clearly from the mythological works. Representations of bacchanalia with music, dancing and erotic scenes are particularly prevalent. A few portraits by him have also survived, including a picture thought to be a self-portrait (private collection).

Bacchanal
Bacchanal by

Bacchanal

This remarkable painting has all the characteristics of an early 17th-century history painting. It is colourful and displays rather uniform illumination. His focus on the naked body connects the painter with Mannerism, while his realistic rendering of skin colour may be traced to Caravaggism.

The scene portrays an episode from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, in which it is told how the ecstatic, jubilant Bacchants - the devotees of Bacchus - adorned with ivy and vines, follow Bacchus on his journey around the world.

Landscape with Arcadian Scene
Landscape with Arcadian Scene by

Landscape with Arcadian Scene

Landscape with Dancing Bacchantes
Landscape with Dancing Bacchantes by

Landscape with Dancing Bacchantes

Landscape with Drovers and Their Animals Fording a River
Landscape with Drovers and Their Animals Fording a River by

Landscape with Drovers and Their Animals Fording a River

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