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Staging Tableaux Vivants in the Theatre of the Dutch Golden Age Stijn Bussels Document generated on 09/29/2021 2:15 a.m. RACAR : Revue d'art canadienne Canadian Art Review Staging Tableaux Vivants in the Theatre of the Dutch Golden Age Stijn Bussels Stay Still: Past, Present, and Practice of the Tableau Vivant Article abstract Stay Still : histoire, actualité et pratique du tableau vivant Les chercheurs modernes ont trop rapidement pensé que les tableaux vivants Volume 44, Number 2, 2019 sont devenus moins importants durant le Siècle d’or néerlandais. Or, rien ne pourrait être plus faux. Cet article soutient que, durant cette période, la mise URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1068319ar en scène de tableaux vivants s’est adaptée de façon particulièrement DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1068319ar intéressante à l’influence croissante de la poétique ancienne et que ces tableaux étaient conçus pour occuper différents rôles narratifs et émotionnels dans les pièces dans lesquelles ils apparaissaient. Afin d’établir ceci, je montre See table of contents d’abord que la tradition des Rhétoriciens en matière de mise en scène de e tableaux vivants existait dès le début du XVII siècle. Je présente ensuite la performance d’un tableau vivant dans Frères (Gebroeders) de 1641 comme une Publisher(s) manière clé pour Joost van den Vondel d’élever le niveau d’émotion à son paroxysme. Enfin, je discute de la pièce la plus populaire du Siècle d’or UAAC-AAUC (University Art Association of Canada | Association d'art des néerlandais, l’histoire d’une revanche sanglante, Aran et Titus de Jan Vos de la universités du Canada) même année, afin de préciser que des façons alternatives d’utiliser le tableau vivant au théâtre étaient également en jeu durant cette période. ISSN 0315-9906 (print) 1918-4778 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article Bussels, S. (2019). Staging Tableaux Vivants in the Theatre of the Dutch Golden Age. RACAR : Revue d'art canadienne / Canadian Art Review, 44(2), 79–91. https://doi.org/10.7202/1068319ar Tous droits réservés © UAAC-AAUC (University Art Association of Canada | This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit Association d'art des universités du Canada), 2019 (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ Staging Tableaux Vivants in the Theatre of the Dutch Golden Age Stijn Bussels Les chercheurs modernes ont In early modern Dutch, tableaux vivants are named toog, vertoog, or vertooning,1 trop rapidement pensé que les tableaux vivants sont devenus terms derived from the verb togen/tonen, which refers to the visual act of dis- moins importants durant le playing, to revealing, and to the act of explaining and elucidating.2 These Siècle d’or néerlandais. Or, rien ne pourrait être plus faux. Cet three meanings are essential to understanding the functioning of tableaux article soutient que, durant vivants in the early modern Low Countries. In essence, the tableau pre- cette période, la mise en scène de tableaux vivants s’est adap- sented a specific message that it captured in a single staged visual display. tée de façon particulièrement Because curtains were used to reveal it and, after some time, to conceal it intéressante à l’influence crois- sante de la poétique ancienne et again, the tableau was not constructed gradually, but was put forth sudden- que ces tableaux étaient conçus ly and explicitly. The viewer had a certain amount of time to look at it and to pour occuper différents rôles narratifs et émotionnels dans les arrive at an understanding of its central message. The resulting ephemeral- pièces dans lesquelles ils appa- ity of the tableau was also an effect of the actors’ (sometimes mannequins’) raissaient. Afin d’établir ceci, je montre d’abord que la tradition frozen poses or very limited movements.3 Although the visual dimension of des Rhétoriciens en matière tableaux vivants was of prime importance, it is a misconception that these de mise en scène de tableaux vivants existait dès le début du performances were never accompanied by spoken words or music. In fact, XVIIe siècle. Je présente ensuite music — often the blast of trumpets — frequently played a crucial role in the la performance d’un tableau vivant dans Frères (Gebroeders) revelation of the tableaux, and words were sometimes spoken, albeit within de 1641 comme une manière certain parameters (there was, for instance, never to be any contact between clé pour Joost van den Vondel d’élever le niveau d’émotion à people inside and outside the tableau). Figures featuring in the tableau could son paroxysme. Enfin, je discute engage in a short dialogue, and it was not uncommon to let a figure outside de la pièce la plus populaire du Siècle d’or néerlandais, l’histoire the tableau provide some explanation as to what was shown in the tableau, in d’une revanche sanglante, Aran a kind of explicit embodiment of the third meaning of the verb togen, namely et Titus de Jan Vos de la même année, afin de préciser que des “to elucidate.” façons alternatives d’utiliser le This central elucidatory function of the genre is most clearly seen in the tableau vivant au théâtre étaient également en jeu durant cette exceptional popularity the tableau vivant enjoyed from the fifteenth to the période. seventeenth centuries as a medium to express political views during joyous Stijn Bussels is Full Professor and entries. When a new ruler was ceremonially presented in the most important Chair of the Department of Art cities of the Low Countries, he or she traversed city centres in a rich parade, History at Leiden University. — [email protected] and numerous tableaux were staged along the route. Thus the organizing univ.nl municipalities presented their view on concrete political situations to the ruler, his or her retinue, and the many bystanders. While tableaux vivants did play a similar role in other European regions, exceptional care was given to 1. Wim Hummelen, “Types and them in the Low Countries, where tableaux began to be staged as early as the Methods of the Dutch Rhetoricians Theatre,” The Third Globe. Sympo- mid-fifteenth century, much earlier than in other regions, and remained in sium for the Reconstruction of the Globe use for a very long time, well into the seventeenth.4 The tableaux from the Playhouse, ed. Walter Hodges et al. (Detroit, 1981) : 164–237 and Idem, Low Countries were also exceptional in quantity and quality. For example, the “Het tableau vivant, de ‘toog’, in de joyous entry of Charles V and his son Philip into Antwerp in 1549 staged twelve racar 44 (2019) 2 : 79–91 79 toneelspelen van de rederijkers,” tableaux in which the actors were dressed in the most expensive costumes and Tijdschrift voor Nederlandse Taal- en Letter- which were framed following the latest trend of the grotesque, as the tableaux kunde 108 (1992) : 193–222. 2. Cf. lemma “togen” in the were surrounded by panels with painted nude acrobatic figures strapped in digital version of the Middelneder- elaborate scrollwork.5 landsch Woordenboek van Verwijs en Verdam : http ://gtb.inl.nl/iWDB/ The use of tableaux vivants in late medieval and early modern entries in search ?actie=article&wdb=MN- the Low Countries has received extensive scholarly attention.6 This paper will W&id=58746&lemma=togen&do- mein=0&conc=true (consulted focus instead on the use of tableaux vivants in the theatre, a subject that has October 1, 2018). Cf. Bart Ramakers, been largely neglected. One precedent in English is George Kernodle’s 1943 Spelen en figuren. Toneelkunst en processie- cultuur in Oudenaarde tussen Middeleeu- From Art to Theatre,7 but as Wim Hummelen has shown, Kernodle’s study of only wen en moderne tijd (Amsterdam : Am- a select number of plays in which tableaux were staged presents a distorted sterdam University Press, 1996) and Idem, “Veelzijdig en meerduidig : view of their use in the theatre of the Low Countries, and the study is hijacked de tableaux vivants in de Brugse in- by its author’s main argument, namely that Elizabethan theatre, and more trede van 1440,” in Stad van koopman- schap en vrede : literatuur in Brugge tussen specifically the construction of its stage, was strongly influenced by these tab- Middeleeuwen en Rederijkerstijd, ed. Jo- leaux.8 It is specifically the theatre in the Dutch Golden Age that I will consider han Oosterman (Leuven : Peeters, 2005) : 97–132. For a more general below. definition of tableaux vivants in this Modern scholars argue for a close link between tableaux vivants and the context, see A.M. Karimi, “Tableaux vivants : Their structure, themes, Rhetoricians (Rederijkers), amateur poets and playwrights who organized in and rhetorical function,” South- so-called Chambers of Rhetoric (Kamers van Rhetorica) and who dominated ern Speech Communication Journal 42 (1977) : 99–113. cultural life in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.9 Since the Rhetoricians’ 3. Stijn Bussels and Bram Van influence decreased throughout the seventeenth century, modern scholars Oostveldt, “De traditie van de tableaux vivants bij de plechtige all too quickly assumed that tableaux vivants became less important in the intochten in de Zuidelijke Neder- theatre as well. Nothing could be further from the truth. The young Dutch landen (1496–1635),” Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis 115 (2002) : 151–68. Republic underwent an unprecedented cultural effervescence, not only in 4. See lemma “toog” in Al- painting, but also in the theatre, wherein tableaux vivants remained popu- gemeen letterkundig lexicon, ed.
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