Jan van Kessel I (1626-1679)
Subtitle: crafting a natural history of art in early modern Antwerp
By: Nadia Baadj
Series: Harvey Miller studies in Baroque art; Harvey Miller studies in Baroque art
Publisher: Harvey Miller Publishers
Published: 2016
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 208
ISBN-13: 9781909400238
Copyright date: 2016
Subjects: Criticism and interpretation; Belgian Painting; History; Nature in art
Description: "This study uses Van Kessel' s art as a distinctive lens through which to examine the relationship between craft, curiosity, and the pursuit of natural knowledge in the early modern period. Each chapter situates Van Kessel within a particular context where art and natural history intersected in late seventeenth-century Antwerp. Taken together, these investigations reveal how his production responded to a unique convergence of circumstances in that city which included the growth of a popular, commercial strand of natural history, a thriving culture of art collecting and connoisseurship focused on local artists, and a burgeoning luxury industry. Van Kessel's material and conceptual interventions into the representation of nature, such as his innovative, painted "cabinets without drawers" and witty signatures formed from insects and snakes, enabled him to redefine the scope of natural historical illustration and negotiate the value and status of the small-format cabinet picture." --
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 195-206) and index.