The Interior of the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam
c. 1660
Painter, Dutch, c. 1616 - 1691/1692

Emanuel de Witte and Pieter Saenredam (1597–1665) are the most important seventeenth-century painters of church interiors, a significant genre in Dutch art. The two artists nevertheless approached their subjects in radically different ways. Saenredam had a scientific, almost archaeological interest in a building's structure, as seen in his Cathedral of Saint John at 's-Hertogenbosch (1961.9.33). De Witte, on the other hand, employed figures and contrasts of light and shadow to establish the mood and to emphasize the spiritual function of the church.
Most of De Witte’s churches can be identified as buildings that still dominate the cityscapes of Delft and Amsterdam, yet in his paintings he often combined architectural elements in imaginative and fanciful ways. The Interior of the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam is one of his most imposing works, not only because of its unusually large scale but also because of the impressive view it offers down the long nave. The painting is boldly executed, with dramatic light streaming across the composition. Numerous figures enliven the space, including a procession of soberly clad men who have entered the church at the far left to attend a funeral and the two gentlemen in the foreground who discuss the tomb from which the stone has just been lifted. In juxtaposition to the tomb, De Witte uses a beam of light to draw our attention to a mother nursing her child, thereby suggesting the cycle of life and death.
De Witte was born in Alkmaar but trained with the still-life painter Evert van Aelst (1602–1657) in Delft. He began his career as a painter of biblical and mythological subjects (mostly night scenes). Around 1650 he started to specialize in architectural paintings of Delft churches. In 1652 he moved to Amsterdam, where he specialized in church interiors, but also painted market scenes and portraits.

West Building Main Floor, Gallery 47
Artwork overview
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Medium
oil on canvas
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Credit Line
-
Dimensions
overall: 80.5 x 100 cm (31 11/16 x 39 3/8 in.)
framed: 122.6 x 141.1 x 7.3 cm (48 1/4 x 55 9/16 x 2 7/8 in.) -
Accession
2004.127.1
More About this Artwork
Artwork history & notes
Provenance
(Sale, Philippus van der Schley et al. at Arnoldus Dankmeyer & Son, Amsterdam, 14-15 August 1793, no. 215); Fouquet, Amsterdam; (sale, Philippus van der Schley et al. at Huis van Trip, Amsterdam, 7-8 May 1804, no. 194). E.W. Walker;[1] (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 10 April 1883, no. 123); Lesser.[2] John Femor-Hesketh, Towcaster, Northamptonshire. (Mortimer Brandt, New York), by 1951/1952 until at least 1963. (Noortman & Brod, New York), by 1981. Saul P. and Gayfryd Steinberg, New York; (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, New York, 12 January 1996, no. 197); private collection, New York; purchased 17 November 2004 through (Gurr-Johns, London) by NGA.
[1] E.W. Walker is the vendor's name originally written under stock number 332R in Christie's daybook for the 1883 sale, but it is crossed out and "Miss Maples" is written above it, so it is not certain who the seller was. This information was kindly supplied by Marijke Booth of Christie's Archives Department (e-mail of 13 December 2005, in NGA curatorial files).
[2] The name of the buyer, originally given to the NGA as "Legge," was kindly corrected by Marijke Booth of Christie's Archives Department (e-mail of 8 December 2005, in NGA curatorial files).
Associated Names
Exhibition History
1981
Inaugural Exhibition of Fine Paintings and Drawings, Noortman & Brod, New York, 1981, no. 15, repro.
Bibliography
1753
Houbraken, Arnold. De Groote Schouburgh der Nederlantsche Konstschilders en Schilderessen. 3 vols. in 1. (Facsimile edition, Amsterdam, 1976). The Hague, 1753: 1:283.
1963
Manke, Ilse. Emanuel de Witte, 1617-1692. Amsterdam, 1963: 93, no. 65, pl. 46.
1981
Noortman & Brod Ltd. Inaugural exhibition of fine paintings and drawings. Exh. cat. Noortman & Brod Ltd, New York, 1981: unpaginated, no. 15, repro.
1982
Liedtke, Walter A. Architectural painting in Delft: Gerard Houckgeest, Hendrick van Vliet, Emanuel de Witte. Doornspijk, 1982: 125-126, pl. IX.
1987
Lopez, Janet Ruth Gardner. "The Church Interiors of Emanuel de Witte." M.A. thesis, University of Delaware, 1987: 26-29, fig. 18.
Sontag, Susan. "The Pleasure of the Image." Art in America 75, no. 11 (November 1987): 126, repro. 127.
2005
"Gifts and Acquisitions." National Gallery of Art Bulletin no. 33 (Summer 2005): 18, repro.
Richard, Paul. "From the Collection. Washington's Prize Possessions." The Washington Post (July 17, 2005): N5, repro.
Wheelock, Arthur K., Jr. "Emanuel de Witte: 'The Interior of the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam.'" National Gallery of Art Bulletin, no. 33 (2005): 18, repro.
Masello, David. "100 Top Treasures." Art and Antiques 28, no. 11 (November 2005): 93, fig. 64.
Wikidata ID
Q20177509