VEEN, Otto van

Albert VII (1559-1621) was the ruling Archduke of Austria for a few months in 1619 and, jointly with his wife, Isabella Clara Eugenia, sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands between 1598 and 1621. Prior to this, he had been a cardinal, archbishop of Toledo, viceroy of Portugal and Governor General of the Habsburg Netherlands.

The artist depicts a scene which occurred on 3 October 1574 after the Water Beggars raised the siege of Leiden during the revolt against Spanish in the Netherlands.

Diligent males studying at night or in early morning appear in seventeenth-century emblems, such as that shown here. It is from “Quinti Horatii Flacci emblemata,” published in 1607 in Antwerp. The image contrasts a virtuous, attentive man with his sleepy counterpart, whose torpor has been induced by dissipation .

This print appeared in the emblem book ‘Emblemata Horatiana’, conceived as a mirror for princes. The best known edition was published in 1646, with the Lycurgus emblem as a frontispiece. The book was dedicated by van Veen to the queen mother of France expressing the hope that it would be useful for the education of the young Louis XIV.

Nicolaas Rockox (1560-1640) was the burgomaster (mayor) of Antwerp. His fame is largely attributed to his friendship to Rubens and the commissions he gave to this artist. His 17th-century patrician is housing a fine collection of Flemish art.

In this early work a typically sixteenth-century spirit, the ‘concordantia familialis’ is illustrated within the context of a wide family circle. Great variation in pose and gestures enlivens this group portrait.

Jesus and his disciples take their meal in a room with columns, oil-lamps, a sofa and an amphora that give it a classical feel. A glowing light in the dark background illuminates the Bible.

The artist shows the moment at which Christ blesses the bread and wine before his agitated disciples. Christ has just suggested that one of them would betray him. They began to be distressed and to say to him one after another, ‘Surely, not I?’ To the viewer, however, it is clear that the man who turns away from the group as his wine is poured and who secretively clutches a purse is the traitor Judas.

The painting originally served as an altarpiece in a chapel devoted to the Eucharist. It is considered to be one of Van Veen masterpieces.

The male figure in this work is identifiable as Hercules by his club. The Medusa shield he holds is the attribute of Minerva, goddess of wisdom, and the female figure is identifiable as Fortune by her cornucopia, thus bearing out the inscription, lower right: Sapienzia Fortuna uictricx.

This engraving is an illustration in the Emblemata Horatiana published in 1607 by Otto Veen.