Hendrick De Somer in Naples (1622-1654)
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UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) Netherlandish immigrant painters in Naples (1575-1654): Aert Mytens, Louis Finson, Abraham Vinck, Hendrick De Somer and Matthias Stom Osnabrugge, M.G.C. Publication date 2015 Document Version Final published version Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Osnabrugge, M. G. C. (2015). Netherlandish immigrant painters in Naples (1575-1654): Aert Mytens, Louis Finson, Abraham Vinck, Hendrick De Somer and Matthias Stom. General rights It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl) Download date:24 Sep 2021 CHAPTER THREE FIAMMINGO BY BIRTH, NEAPOLITAN BY ADOPTION: HENDRICK DE SOMER IN NAPLES (1622-1654) Between Finson’s departure in 1612 and De Somer’s arrival in 1622, the social and artistic conditions that Netherlandish painters faced in Naples changed decisively. Grasping the essence of this change will prove no easy task, as it involves the complexities of both the Neapolitan and Netherlandish artistic development. More and more young Neapolitan men decided to become painters, an indication that painting had become a profitable profession. In fact, our Hendrick De Somer only made the decision to become a painter after his arrival in the city. Through his oeuvre and his network, we learn more about the complex dynamics of the Neapolitan art scene during the second quarter of the seventeenth century. Hendrick De Somer lived in Naples between 1622 and 1654. His Neapolitan career constitutes the first chapter of the second part of this dissertation, in which the presence of Netherlandish painters in Naples during the second quarter of the seventeenth century is addressed. Thanks to extensive research in archives, an analysis of his signed oeuvre and the paintings in Neapolitan inventories, it became possible to get insight into his artistic and social decisions. First, however, a brief overview of the activity of other Netherlandish painters in Naples is necessary. Netherlandish painters in Naples 1612-1654 In the ten years after Louis Finson's departure from Naples, the tide of Pittori Fiamminghi of Finson and Abraham Vinck was turning. Loise Croys and Ettore Crucer, the only two who had remained, had died by 1622 or at least no longer appear in extant archival records.1 Jacob van Swanenburg left in 1617 to return to the Netherlands. The only one remaining was Cornelio Brusco, who is documented until 1634. In 1610 and 1614 respectively, the painters François de Nommé (1590-1621) and Didier Barra (1591-1634) from Metz, arrived in Naples after a brief stint in Rome.2 These two Lorraine painters 1 Last notice of Croys stems from 1616, whereas Crucer disappears after 1617. For the last documents on Croys, see: D'ADDOSIO 1913, 54; corrected in NAPPI & NAPPI 2005, 46. For Crucer: NAPPI 1992. 2 The two friends were often mixed up, cfr. M.R. NAPPI 1991 and SARY & NAPPI 2004 for a discussion and bibliography. In his Dichiarazione di Stato Libero of 13 May 1613 regarding his marriage to Isabella Croys, De Nommé declared that he had been in Naples for about three years, after a sojourn and apprenticeship with Balthasar Lauwers in Rome of about eight years. The first payment to Barra stems from 1619, but in his (unpublished, see Appendix 122) processetto prematrimoniale of 18 July 1619, which I found in the course of my 69 CHAPTER THREE collaborated during their first years in Naples; around 1619 Barra joined forces with the Neapolitan painter Domenico Antonio Bruno.3 During his long and successful career in Naples, Barra collaborated as a vedute-specialist with Neapolitan artists like Onofrio Palumbo, with whom he made the Saint Januarius protecting the city of Naples for the archconfraternity of the Holy Trinità dei Pellegrini. During De Somer’s Neapolitan sojourn there were only a few Northern painters active in the city, apart from the aforementioned Didier Barra, François de Nommé and Cornelio Brusco. First of all, De Somer's direct colleagues and friends: Peeter Doens (documented between 1622-1639), Giovanni Fiammingo (unidentified) and Andrea Brugges (documented between 1633 and 1643).4 Nicolas Lozet from Liège, better known with his patronym Nicolò di Simone (or di Simon Pietro), was active between 1636 and 1656/8.5 The history painter Charles Mellin from Lorraine, pupil of Simon Vouet, is documented between 1643 and 1646.6 Furthermore, a number of German painters, indicated as ‘Maler’ (painter), appear as Kirchmeistern of the German brotherhood in Santa Maria dell'Anima, which De Somer served as official in the 1640s:7 Jacob and Hans Herkommer (between 1618-1639 and 1636-7 respectively), Andreas Brunfels or Bruntzell (1642-1647) and Hans Georg Faber (1654-1668).8 And, of course, Matthias Stom, who would arrive in Naples around 1632.9 The number of Northern painters active in Naples during the second quarter of the seventeenth century was decreasing, especially in comparison to the previous decades. As a result, the pittori fiamminghi were less visible as a group within the local art scene and were unable to maintain the significant role they had played in previous decades. For newcomers, this meant that they could not build upon a well-established network to facilitate the integration process. Whereas the number of Northern artists traveling to Italy remained steady or even increased in this period, the desire to settle on the Italian peninsula, and in Naples in particular, seems to have diminished. While the unrest of the Eighty Years’ War had made it attractive for Netherlandish artists to try their luck outside research, preceding his marriage with the Neapolitan girl Antonia Todesca, he testified that he has arrived in Naples approximately five years earlier. 3 See Appendix 122, this is testified by François De Nommé and Daniel Gondreville, a sculptor and seal maker from Metz. Bruno is fairly unknown, he is documented in Naples between 1603 and 1625. Bruno produced several paintings (mostly of saints) for Neapolitan churches and private collectors (WIEDMANN 1991; CECI 1910, 106; NAPPI 1992, 31). 4 See the paragraph on De Somer's social integration, below. 5 See CREAZZO 1988. 6 MALGOUYRES 2007 & MALGOUYRES 2010. Mellin immediately received very prestigious commissions, for the church of Donnaregina Nuova, the Santissima Annunziata, the Palazzo Reale and several private commissions. I believe it is unlikely Mellin was in contact with his compatriots De Nommé and Barra, or with any of the other Northerners, because he was immediately launched into the highest circles of patronage. 7 See below. 8 TOLL 1909, 101-103. I have been unable to identify these artists. Hans Georg Faber, also Hans Faber, is described as 'Mahler auf Cristal' as well as 'Caporal von Elssas Zabern'. 9 See Chapter Four. 70 HENDRICK DE SOMER the Netherlands, the enormous economic growth in the Dutch Republic and Antwerp now encouraged them to head back after their Italian study trip. In fact, there were more artists coming from other regions of relative unrest, such as Lorraine and Germany. At the same time, with the growing demand for art works, the profession of painter had become profitable in Naples, leading to a greater number of local painters. Battistello Caracciolo, Jusepe de Ribera and Massimo Stanzione had very successful workshops which laid the foundation for the 'Neapolitan school’. This created a stimulating artistic environment, but also a competitive one. This is the reality that Hendrick De Somer (and Matthias Stom) encountered in Naples and in which they had to find their way. Mistaken identity: Hendrick van Someren, Enrico Fiammingo and Hendryck De Somer The true identity of Hendrick De Somer has been shrouded with some degree of confusion. In 1943, following the discovery of De Somer's signature ('Enrico Somer f. 1652') on a St Jerome in the collection of the Galleria Borghese in Rome (Fig. 38),10 Hoogewerff erroneously identified the artist as Hendrick van Someren (Amsterdam, 1615 – Amsterdam, 1684), son of Barent Van Someren and Dianora Mytens, the daughter of Aert Mytens, and attributed a number of St Jeromes in a Ribersque style to this artist. He combined information from different, unrelated sources to reach a conclusion that was very plausible for 1943, but which soon after proved to be untenable.11 Factual evidence that Hendrick van Someren and Enrico Somer were not the same person emerged ten years after Hoogewerff’s article, with Ulisse Prota-Giurleo’s publication (1953) of the processetto prematrioniale of the painter Viviano Codazzi and Candida Miranda of 15 April 10 Up to that moment, the St Jerome had a false signature of Ribera, with the date 1649. The painting is now in the Galleria d'Arte Antica in Palazzo Barberini, for the provenance of this painting, currently in Palazzo Barberini, see: MOCHI ONORI & VODRET 2008, 443 (inv. 2330). 11 The first document Hoogewerff analyzed was the payment of 1641 to Errico Semer for the large painting for the church of Santa Maria della Sapienza in Naples.(Hoogewerff based himself on the publications by COLOMBO 1902 and Filangieri, instead of on the first publication by BONAZZI IN 1888.) He then moves to the ‘Dutch side of the story’, citing Houbraken's remark about the painter Hendrick van Someren, the son of Barent van Someren: '...die fraaije Historien, Landschappen en Bloemen schilderde.' (‘…who painted nice histories, landscapes and flowers.’), see HOUBRAKEN 1718, 322.