Items Similar to 'The Smoker (Le Fumeur)' original etching by Cornelis-Pietersz Bega
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 8
Cornelis Bega'The Smoker (Le Fumeur)' original etching by Cornelis-Pietersz Begaca. 1650
ca. 1650
About the Item
'The Smoker (Le Fumeur)' is an original etching by the celebrated Dutch painter and printmaker Cornelis-Pietersz Bega. It presents a genre scene of the type Bega was best known for: Bega's principal subjects were genre representations of taverns, domestic interiors and villages. He depicted nursing mothers, prostitutes, drunks, gamblers and fools such as quack doctors and alchemists. In this case, he shows a man seated on a chair with his foot on a flat stool and holding a smoking pipe. For Bega, this representation was more of a caricature than it was an image of a specific person, and such genre scenes would have held allegorical and symbolic meaning for the seventeenth-century viewer. During the seventeenth century, the Dutch of all levels of society consumed tobacco and alcohol, and these were an important part of the Dutch economy and a major source of wealth. At the same time, however, moralists and ministers sought to curb intoxication: they openly described drinking and smoking as sinful, immoral, and a general threat to one’s reputation. This paradox is reflected in prints such as this, which inherently carry the national pride of the Dutch economy alongside a moral warning in a print that could be just as easily consumed and collected.
2.5 x 2.25 inches, print
12.38 x 10.38 inches, frame
Framed to conservation standards using archival materials including 100 percent rag matting and mounting materials. Housed in a gold finish Spanish-style wood moulding.
Overall good and stable condition; margins cut to plate; some wrinkling in the corners from previous mounting; housed in a new custom frame.
Cornelis Bega was born into prosperous circumstances. His mother, Maria Cornelis, inherited half the estate (gold, silver, paintings, drawings and prints) and all of the red chalk drawings of her father, Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem, a renowned Mannerist artist. Bega's father was Pieter Jansz Begijn (d 1648), a gold and silversmith.
Like other family members, Bega was probably Catholic. Houbraken's claim that Bega studied with Adriaen van Ostade is likely to be correct; this was probably before 24 April 1653, when Bega joined Vincent Laurentsz. van der Vinne in Frankfurt for a journey through Germany, Switzerland and France. Bega had returned to Haarlem by 1 September 1654, at which time he joined the Guild of St Luke; he was already a competent draughtsman, as indicated by his first extant dated work, Interior with a Nursing Mother (1652; Frankfurt am Main, Städel. Kstinst.), and by a remarkable double portrait (Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum) drawn by him and Leendert van der Cooghen in 1654.
Bega painted, drew, etched and made counterproofs in a wide variety of materials on different types of small-scale supports. He may have been the first Dutch artist to make monotypes, but this remains controversial. Approximately 160 paintings, 80 drawings and six monotypes by Bega have been catalogued, as well as around 34 etchings.
Bega's principal subjects were genre representations of taverns, domestic interiors and villages. He depicted nursing mothers, prostitutes, drunks, smokers, gamblers and fools such as quack doctors and alchemists. Less common subjects include the ridiculed or pestered woman, as in Two Figures and Mother with a Spirits Bottle (c. 1662; Gouda, Stedel, Museum Catharina Gasthuis) and The Inn (etching), as well as witty satires on traditional scenes of middle-class music-makers, such as the Music Lesson (1663; Paris, Petit Palace).
Bega's early paintings, such as the Weaver's Family (c. 1652; St Petersburg, Hermitage), are freely executed, dark and coarse, recalling the many-figured peasant subjects of van Ostade. Between c. 1660 and 1664 he began to paint genre scenes with fewer figures, which are finely articulated, colourful and psychologically expressive, for example Two Men Singing (1662; Dublin, N.G.). His exquisite, late fijnschilderen ('fine painting') manner, evident in The Alchemist (1663; Malibu, Getty Museum), compares well with that of Gerrit Dou.
As a draughtsman Bega is noted for his single-figure studies, executed mainly in black and white chalk on blue paper or red chalk on white paper. None of the studies, which were drawn naer het leven (from life), seem to relate to a painting or etching. Bega traded drawings or shared models with other artists of the Haarlem school, including van der Cooghen, Gerrit Berckheyde, Dirck Helmbreker and Cornelis Visscher. These artists drew chalk figure studies in a very similar style, characterised by regular and precise parallel shading and well-defined forms; their drawings, especially those of Bega and Berckheyde, have been frequently confused. Unlike the realistic figure studies, Bega's etchings depict interiors with figures or single figures in the manner of van Ostade; the compositions, often with masterful chiaroscuro effects, reflect most closely the paintings of the 1650s.
Bega is likely to have remained in Haarlem, where he paid dues to the Guild in 1661. He probably died from the plague; fees for his expensive funeral at St. Bavo's were paid on 30 August 1664. Among the artists he influenced were Thomas Wijck, Jan Steen, Richard Brakenburg (1650-1702) and Cornelis Dusart. Painters such as R. Oostrzaen ( fl ?1656) and Jacob Toorenvliet (1635/6-1719) and later European artists imitated Bega's style and borrowed principal characters from his low-life dramas.
Sources:
Biography via the archives of AskArt
Beeler, David. "Sobering Anxieties: Alcohol, Tobacco, and the Intoxicated Social Body in Dutch Painting During the True Freedom, 1650-1672." Ph.D. diss., University of South Florida, 2014.
- Creator:Cornelis Bega (1631 - 1664, Dutch)
- Creation Year:ca. 1650
- Dimensions:Height: 12.38 in (31.45 cm)Width: 10.38 in (26.37 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:Overall good and stable condition; margins cut to plate; some wrinkling in the corners from previous mounting; housed in a new custom frame.
- Gallery Location:Milwaukee, WI
- Reference Number:
About the Seller
4.9
Platinum Seller
These expertly vetted sellers are 1stDibs' most experienced sellers and are rated highest by our customers.
Established in 1966
1stDibs seller since 2017
392 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 2 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Milwaukee, WI
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Four original etchings of women from 'Aula Veneris' series by Wenceslaus HollarBy Wenceslaus HollarLocated in Milwaukee, WIPresented here as a group are four original etchings of women in European national dress from the master printmaker Wenceslaus Hollar's series "Aula V...Category
17th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints
MaterialsPaper, Etching
- 'Near Mrs. Teshmakers, Edmonton' original etching by John Thomas SmithBy John Thomas SmithLocated in Milwaukee, WIThe present is one of the many prints John Thomas Smith produced of English cottages and vernacular architecture. This example, a view of a cottage in Edmonton, is closely related to...Category
1790s Old Masters Landscape Prints
MaterialsEtching, Paper
- 17th century etching black and white figures sketchBy Claude LorrainLocated in Milwaukee, WI"Etude d'Une Scene du Brigands (Study with Brigands)" is an etching by Claude Gellee (Le Lorrain). This etching is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum, the Art Institute of...Category
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints
MaterialsEtching
- 17th century etching black and white figures sceneBy Cornelis BegaLocated in Milwaukee, WI"The Singer" is an original etching by Cornelis-Pietersz Bega. It depicts a performer and onlookers. Publisher: Pearce #50. 4" x 3" art 16 1/2" x 13 1/2" frame Cornelis Pietersz Be...Category
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints
MaterialsEtching
- 17th century etching black and white indoor dramatic figures sceneBy Cornelis BegaLocated in Milwaukee, WI"The Meeting" is an original etching by Cornelis-Pietersz Bega. It depicts a confrontation between two groups of figures. Publisher: Pearce #48. 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" art 10 1/4" x 10 3/8...Category
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints
MaterialsEtching
- 17th century etching black and white dramatic window figure sceneBy Cornelis BegaLocated in Milwaukee, WI"Man Looking Through a Window" is an original etching by Cornelis-Pietersz Bega. It depicts a figure leaning through a window. Publisher: Pearce #37. 3 1/8" x 3" art 14 3/4" x 13 1/...Category
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints
MaterialsEtching
You May Also Like
- Christ and the Woman of Samaria Among Ruins by James Bretherton after RembrandtBy Rembrandt van RijnLocated in Middletown, NYBretherton, James (After Rembrandt van Rijn). Christ and the Woman of Samaria Among Ruins. London: c 1775. Etching on light cream laid paper, 4 3/4...Category
18th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints
MaterialsHandmade Paper, Etching, Laid Paper
- The Windmill by François Vivares, after RembrandtBy Rembrandt van RijnLocated in Middletown, NYEngraving on cream laid paper, 8 x 5 7/8 inches (202 x 149 mm), trimmed at the platemark. Adhered at each corner to a small sheet of archival laid paper. Horizontal edge loss at the ...Category
Mid-18th Century Old Masters Landscape Prints
MaterialsHandmade Paper, Laid Paper, Etching
- Judith Grasping The Head Of Holofernes... by Giovanni A. Sirani after Guido ReniBy Guido ReniLocated in Middletown, NYJudith Grasping The Head Of Holofernes By The Hair And Looking To The Left, and Old Woman to the Right. circa 1640 Etching on cream laid paper with a foolscap watermark, 10 x 7 inche...Category
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Portrait Prints
MaterialsLaid Paper, Etching
- Fountains of RomeBy Giovan Battista FaldaLocated in Middletown, NYA charming scene with romping dogs and spectators watching the cascading water play a trick on an unsuspecting man who is sprayed as he descends the steps, as the fountain was design...Category
Early 17th Century Old Masters Landscape Prints
MaterialsEngraving, Etching, Laid Paper
- Jeux de boules - Near the City GateBy Herman van SwaneveltLocated in Middletown, NYEtching on cream laid paper, 6 7/8 x 10 7/8 inches (175 x 275 mm), thin margins. Some minor surface soiling and paper tape residue in four areas along the top sheet edge, verso, othe...Category
Mid-17th Century Old Masters Landscape Prints
MaterialsLaid Paper, Etching
- Fountains of Rome; Fontana e castello dell'AcquaBy Giovan Battista FaldaLocated in Middletown, NYRome: Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi, 1625. Etching and engraving on cream laid paper, 8 3/8 x 11 1/4 inches (222 x 286 mm), full margins. In good condition with some light yellow discol...Category
Early 17th Century Old Masters Landscape Prints
MaterialsLaid Paper, Engraving, Etching
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Old Drinking
Cornelis Hollander
Antique Wood Moulding
The Antique Inn
Old Antique Bottles
Jacob 17th
Art School Stool
French Chair And A Half
Genre Chair
Antique Smoking Pipe
Silver Doctor
17th Century Spanish School
17th Century Style Chairs
Antique Double Silver Frame
Antique Catholic Prints
Men Smoking
Mens Smoking
Antique Smoker