Past Exhibition

Jan de Bray and the Classical Tradition

Shown from the shoulders up, a man and woman face our left in profile against a shadowy, dark green curtain in this vertical portrait painting. They both look steadily to our left, they and have pale skin and wear black. The man is closer to us so he overlaps the woman, whose profile is shifted to our left. A black cap sits on the man's curly, silver, shoulder-length hair. He has a slight double chin and soft jowls. A thin mustache curves over his upper lip, and a line of hair runs down his chin as a narrow beard. A broad, flat, white collar lies across his shoulders over a velvety black coat. He lifts his left hand, closer to us, in front of his chest with the fingers curled gently inward. The woman also has a double chin and soft jowls. Her thin lips are closed and downturned. Her hair is pulled back under a black covering, and her black garment has a sheen, suggesting satin.
Jan de Bray, Portrait of the Artist's Parents, Salomon de Bray and Anna Westerbaen, 1664, oil on panel, Gift of Joseph F. McCrindle in memory of his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Feder, 2001.86.1

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    West Building Main Floor
Shown from the shoulders up, a man and woman face our left in profile against a shadowy, dark green curtain in this vertical portrait painting. They both look steadily to our left, they and have pale skin and wear black. The man is closer to us so he overlaps the woman, whose profile is shifted to our left. A black cap sits on the man's curly, silver, shoulder-length hair. He has a slight double chin and soft jowls. A thin mustache curves over his upper lip, and a line of hair runs down his chin as a narrow beard. A broad, flat, white collar lies across his shoulders over a velvety black coat. He lifts his left hand, closer to us, in front of his chest with the fingers curled gently inward. The woman also has a double chin and soft jowls. Her thin lips are closed and downturned. Her hair is pulled back under a black covering, and her black garment has a sheen, suggesting satin.
Jan de Bray, Portrait of the Artist's Parents, Salomon de Bray and Anna Westerbaen, 1664, oil on panel, Gift of Joseph F. McCrindle in memory of his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Feder, 2001.86.1

Overview: This focus exhibition presented 5 paintings by 17th-century Dutch artist Jan de Bray, including portraits of his family and Dutch citizens in the guise of antique figures. A print after a work by de Bray was also included, as was the painting Tiberius and Agrippina by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, which some scholars believe influenced de Bray's work. The paintings were from the National Gallery of Art and other public and private collections in the United States.

The Baltimore Consort presented a concert of 17th-century music played on period instruments from the Netherlands on May 8 in honor of the exhibition.

Organization: The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire.

Sponsor: The exhibition was made possible by Greg and Candy Fazakerley. Additional support was provided by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

Attendance: 174,273

Brochure: Jan de Bray and the Classical Tradition, by Phoebe Avery, Robin Brinkerhoff, Kurt Sundstrom, and Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 2004.

Other Venues:

  • The Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire, 11/12/2004–02/21/2005
  • The Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky, 09/06/2005–12/04/2005

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