Cornelis Bega

Bega, Cornelis Pietersz

Dutch, 1631/1632 - 1664

Explore Selected Works

See all 27 works of art
A light-skinned man sitting near an oven is surrounded by papers and vessels, all within a shadowy room in this vertical painting. The scene is dominated by chocolate and clay brown, black, slate blue, and shades of gray. The man sits facing our right in profile near the center of the painting. He wears a tall black cap that shadows his eyes and a rust-brown sleeveless garment like a vest over dark, steel-gray, long sleeves. Cream-white fabric tied around his waist could be an apron, and more white fabric drapes over his knees. Brown hair is visible behind his ear, he has a mustache, and his lips are parted as he looks down toward the instruments in front of him. He is hunched over, the elbow closer to us on what might be a flattened bellows, and he holds tongs in his left hand. The vessel in front of him could be made from pewter or glass, and it has a high, curved top and a long spout angled downward. Other pots and a red cloth are jumbled with large, leather-covered folios like thick folders of papers on the floor close to us. More papers, pots, and containers sit on a wide ledge over the open fireplace or oven to our right. A piece of parchment-white cloth hangs down the front of the oven next to a leather knapsack that hangs from the mantle. The top zone of the painting is deep in shadow but there seems to be an arched window or door covered with a wooden shutter to our right, behind the oven. A piece of paper affixed to the wall near the opening shows a vessel like the long-spouted vessel in front of the man. A shallow wooden box near the lower right corner seems to be filled with crumpled paper or cloth. The artist signed and dated the front face of the box with light letters: “C. Bega Ao. 1663.”
Cornelis Bega, The Alchemist, 1663, oil on canvas mounted on panel, From the Collection of Ethel and Martin Wunsch, 2013.34.1

The Alchemist

Cornelis Bega · 1663 · oil on canvas mounted on panel ·  Accession ID  2013.34.1

Cornelis Bega, The Inn, etching, Rosenwald Collection, 1943.3.896

The Inn

Cornelis Bega · · etching ·  Accession ID  1943.3.896

Cornelis Bega, Bust of an Old Woman, etching, Rosenwald Collection, 1943.3.892

Bust of an Old Woman

Cornelis Bega · · etching ·  Accession ID  1943.3.892

Cornelis Bega, Old Woman Standing, etching, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1972.32.4

Old Woman Standing

Cornelis Bega · · etching ·  Accession ID  1972.32.4

Cornelis Bega, Sitting Man with His Hat in His Right Hand, etching on laid paper, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1972.32.6

Sitting Man with His Hat in His Right Hand

Cornelis Bega · · etching on laid paper ·  Accession ID  1972.32.6

Cornelis Bega, The Mother, etching, Gift of Arthur and Charlotte Vershbow, 1984.89.1

The Mother

Cornelis Bega · · etching ·  Accession ID  1984.89.1

Cornelis Bega, The Woman with the Jug, Standing, etching, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1972.32.9

The Woman with the Jug, Standing

Cornelis Bega · · etching ·  Accession ID  1972.32.9

Cornelis Bega, The Group at the Fireplace, etching, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1972.35.3

The Group at the Fireplace

Cornelis Bega · · etching ·  Accession ID  1972.35.3

Cornelis Bega, The Drinker, etching on laid paper, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1972.32.2

The Drinker

Cornelis Bega · · etching on laid paper ·  Accession ID  1972.32.2

Cornelis Bega, The Young Mother, etching, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1972.66.1

The Young Mother

Cornelis Bega · · etching ·  Accession ID  1972.66.1