Self-Portrait (1601)

Joachim Wtewael prints bring the elegance and fantasy of Dutch Mannerism into your home. Wtewael was a leading painter of the style in Utrecht, famous for small, polished paintings on copper that "glow like gems", crowded with graceful, twisting figures. This collection gathers art prints of his feasts of the gods, love stories from myth, Bible scenes, lively kitchen pictures and family portraits.

About Joachim Wtewael

Joachim Wtewael was born in Utrecht in 1566, the son of a glassmaker and glass painter, and was trained in his father's craft and by the painter Cornelis Bloemaert. In 1586 he set off on four years of travel, living in Italy, mainly in Padua, and then in France in the household of the bishop of Saint-Malo, where he probably saw the art of the School of Fontainebleau.

Back in Utrecht by 1590, he joined the saddlers' guild, which then included painters, and later helped found a separate painters' guild. He married Christina van Halen, and their son Peter Wtewael also became a painter. Wtewael was a very successful flax merchant and a town councillor of Utrecht, as well as a painter whose fame reached Emperor Rudolf II in Prague.

He remained faithful to the Mannerist style of late 16th-century Haarlem even as Dutch painting turned toward naturalism. He left about a hundred paintings, along with drawings and some stained-glass designs, and died in Utrecht on 1 August 1638.

Style and Subjects

Wtewael's figures are highly polished and elegantly drawn, often posed in twisting, capricious attitudes. His small paintings on copper are crowded with figures and painted with jewel-like color and fine detail, while his larger canvases may show only a few figures.

His favorite subjects were mythological love stories and feasts, such as Mars and Venus surprised by Vulcan, the wedding of Peleus and Thetis and the Judgment of Paris, along with Bible scenes such as the Adoration of the Shepherds and Lot and his daughters. He also revived the 16th-century tradition of large kitchen and market scenes.

Famous Works

• Jupiter and Danaë (c. 1587), Louvre, Paris. An early mythological picture from his travels.
• Mars and Venus Surprised by Vulcan (1601), Mauritshuis, The Hague. The gods caught in Vulcan's net, one of his most famous small coppers.
• The Golden Age (1605), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. An idyllic paradise of nudes and animals, owned by Emperor Rudolf II.
• The Judgment of Paris (c. 1600), National Museum of Art, Oslo. Paris awards the golden apple among a crowd of gods.
• Lot and His Daughters (c. 1600), Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. The Old Testament story set before burning Sodom.
• Perseus and Andromeda (1611), Louvre, Paris. The hero rescues the princess from the sea monster.
• The Adoration of the Shepherds (1618). One of his favorite religious subjects.

Decorating with Wtewael Prints

Wtewael's small, jewel-like paintings are lovely in a study, library or sitting room, where their rich colors and fine detail can be seen up close. They look superb in ornate gilt or dark wood frames, perhaps in a group.

His kitchen and market scenes suit a kitchen or dining room, and his family portraits add a classic Dutch touch to a hallway. Note that many of his mythological scenes include nudes.

FAQ

What art movement was Joachim Wtewael part of?

Wtewael was one of the leading Dutch painters of Northern Mannerism, an elegant, artificial style that he kept to even as Dutch Golden Age painting moved toward naturalism.

What is Joachim Wtewael's most famous painting?

Mars and Venus Surprised by Vulcan, painted in several versions (including the Mauritshuis copper of 1601), and The Golden Age (1605) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art are among his best-known works.

Where can I see Wtewael's original paintings?

His work is in the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, the Mauritshuis, the Rijksmuseum, the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty Museum and the Hermitage.

How can you recognize a Joachim Wtewael painting?

Look for small, highly polished paintings crowded with elegant, twisting figures in bright, jewel-like colors, often telling stories from myth or the Bible.

Was Wtewael only a painter?

No. He was also a wealthy flax merchant and a town councillor in Utrecht. A visitor in 1626 even complained that Wtewael and his son neglected painting for the flax business.

Related Artists

• Abraham Bloemaert — fellow Utrecht painter of the Mannerist generation
• Hendrick Goltzius — Haarlem Mannerist whose engravings shaped his style
• Cornelis van Haarlem — leading Haarlem Mannerist painter
• Karel van Mander — painter and writer who brought Mannerism to Haarlem
• Paulus Moreelse — Utrecht painter of the same era