VELSEN, Jacob van

(b. ~1597 Delft, d. 1656 Amsterdam)

Dutch painter. Almost nothing is known about the early part of his life. He was the son of a certain Jan Jacobsz van Velsen and Janntegen Jansdr van der Hooch and was born about 1597. He is next mentioned in 1625 when he entered the Guild of Saint Luke in Delft. Apparently his family was so poor that his mother had to pay in three instalments the registration fee and the first annual membership fee. It is often assumed that he was the pupil of Anthonie Palamedesz, but there is no documentary evidence of it. He never needed to earn a living from his painting, since in 1626 he married Geertgen Jans Crol, a wealthy Catholic widow.

Van Velsen spent his entire life in Delft, but died in Amsterdam perhaps while on a journey. An enormous inventory of his possessions, drawn up at his death, reveals the family’s considerable wealth. According to a prenuptial agreement, the property was to be divided among his widow, his five children, and other members of the family.

A Musical Party

In the centre of the painting an elegantly dressed group of two men and a woman make music. The man on the right plays the violin and looks at the woman who is beating time. She and the man next to her are singing from a score. To the right of the group is a table laid with plates, a knife, a glass, a silver jug, and, in the centre, a decorated meat pie. Behind the table a boy waves a glass at the central group while a maid looks on. In the left corner, cast in shadow, a man stands casually leaning on a chair and smoking a pipe. The scene is set in a simple interior with a stone floor and plain, light gray walls.

Until about 1895, this painting was attributed to Anthonie Palamedesz due to a false signature. This is not surprising since the subject matter, the grouping and attire of the figures, and the relatively sparse interior of Palamedesz’s early works seem comparable to those in Van Velsen’s works. Moreover, comparisons may be drawn with the elegant companies by Dirck Hals in Haarlem, Pieter Codde and Willem Duyster in Amsterdam, and Jacob Duck and Gerrit van Honthorst in Utrecht.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 10 minutes):

Claudio Monteverdi: Charming Angioletta, madrigal

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The Fortune Teller

Despite the naive anatomy and the puppet-like shadow, the strong modelling and bright daylight in this picture bring to mind effects in the works of several Utrecht painters, such as Hendrick Terbrugghen, Jan van Bijlert, Johannes Moreelse, and Jacob Duck. The pale green wall and subtle shades of drapery recall Terbrugghen and other genre painters of the period.

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