RKD STUDIES

When we turn to the artistic life in Düsseldorf,¹ we see that already the dukes of the house of Jülich-Cleves employed portrait painters that were trained in the Netherlands. Duke Wilhelm V of Jülich-Cleves-Berg commissioned Johan Malthain (born c. 1550) to paint portraits of himself and is son [1-2], which were engraved by Willem van Swanenburg (1580-1612) [3-4] and Crispijn de Passe I (1564-1637). Johann Spilberg I (active 1613-1624) produced numerous portraits for the family tree of the house of Jülich that was engraved by De Passe. Johann’s brother Gabriel Spilberg (active c. 1590-after 1620) was sent to the Netherlands for this training. He delivered designs for De Passe as well [5].

Düsseldorf’s prosperity began with the government of the dukes from the Wittelsbach house of Pfalz-Neuburg. For Philipp Ludwig of Neuburg-Sulzbach had married the heiress of the above- mentioned Duke Wilhelm V of Jülich-Kleve-Berg, by which these lands accrued to the Palatinates. His son Wolfgang Wilhelm (1578-1653) [6], the ancestor of a very artistic family, choose Düsseldorf as his residence, as did both his successors. Because of his conversion to Catholicism, the ties to Flanders, to Rubens and Flemish art, became closer than to the protestant Northern Netherlands. But still during his reign we find connections to Dutch art and culture, which would grow stronger towards the end of the century.

In 1629 Wolfgang Wilhelm was in Brussels and subsequently in Holland. At this time he had himself portrayed [7] by ‘einem Mr. peintre de Delfft’, a painting that was engraved by Willem Jacobsz. Delff (1580-1638). At first he was not very pleased with the result. When the print was sent to him, he complained that the eyes were distorted: ‘it looks as if we squint’, he writes to his agent Johan van der Veken (1549-1616) in The Hague. In the second state the problem was solved [8].²

5
Crispijn de Passe (I) after Gabriel Spilberg
One of the seven acts of mercy: Burying the dead (Matthew 25:35-36), dated 1608
London (England), British Museum

6
studio of Anthony van Dyck
Portrait of Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine and Herzog von Neuburg (1578-1653), c. 1628-1634
Neuburg an der Donau, Staatsgalerie Neuburg an der Donau, inv./cat.nr. 402

In 1640 Wolfgang Wilhelm sent his painter Johann Spilberg II (1619-1690), whose father already served the previous Duke of Cleves, to Antwerp with a letter of recommendation to Rubens. However, Rubens had died, so young Spilberg went on to Amsterdam and to Govert Flinck, with whom he stayed for seven years. After his return to Düsseldorf he had plenty opportunity as a portrait painter. After the death of Wolfgang Wilhelm, Spilberg must have been in Amsterdam again, until his successor Philip Wilhelm (1650-1690) called upon him in 1661.³

Maybe Spilberg interrupted his first stay in Amsterdam, as is suggested by the dates on his paintings. This would result in the following:

- c. 1638 – 1647 with Govert Flinck;
- 1648 in Düsseldorf (signed and dated portrait of Wolfgang Wilhelm in Düsseldorf [9];
- 1650/2 in Amsterdam (signed and 1650 dated civic guard portrait in the Rijksmuseum [now Amsterdam Museum, ed.] [10] and other portraits; birth of his daughter;
- 1654 again in Düsseldorf (signed and dated portrait of Elisabeth Amalia von Hessen Darmstadt, wife of Philip Wilhelm [11];
- After that again in Amsterdam;
- 24 December 1661 present in Düsseldorf.⁴

9
Johann Spilberg (II)
Portrait of Wolfgang Wilhelm von Pfalz-Neuburg, Duke of Jülich-Berg (1578-1653), dated 1648
Düsseldorf, Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf

The portraits by Spilberg demonstrate clearly that he was taught in Holland. The Architect in Schleissheim [12] belongs to the school of Rembrandt and is most reminiscent of Salomon Koninck.⁵ The early portraits, for example the Portrait of a lady of 1639 in Napels [13],⁶ are completely Dutch (Flinck and Bol). The same goes for his biblical scenes, such as the Sisera of 1644 (in Berlin) [14] and Christ healing the blind man of Jericho (collection Hudig, Rotterdam) [15]. Victors or Flinck is the model here as well. Rembrandt’s spirit and Utrecht light effects appear clearly in the Concert [16], possibly identical to the depiction of ‘singing and music’ that is mentioned by Houbraken.⁷

Around 1650, he becomes more elegant and decorative, attempting to achieve the splendid style of Van der Helst, as is demonstrated by his militia piece of 1650 (Amsterdam) or the Falconer [17], that Peltzer attributes to him.⁸ In altar pieces (Düsseldorf, Andreaskirche) [18] he sticks to the scheme and manner of the school of Rubens. His daughter Adriana (1656-after 1697), who also was a painter, married the Dutchman (?) Willem Breckvelt († 1687) [19] and in her second marriage the famous Eglon van der Neer, who was held in high esteem at the court in Düsseldorf. We know Adriana painted portraits [20] and ceiling paintings.⁹

14
Johann Spilberg (II)
Jael with hammer and nail, dated 1644
Berlin (city, Germany), Gemäldegalerie (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin), inv./cat.nr. 1928

It seems that Philipp Wilhelm also employed Franz de Hamilton as a portrait painter before 1661, when we encountered him at the Brandenburg court.¹⁰ Joachim von Sandrart I (1606-1688), who was a subject to Philipp Wilhelm because of his estate in Stockau, was also active as a portrait painter for the court [21]. Furthermore, commissioned by the Elector, he painted an altar piece for the church in Neuburg depicting the martyrdom of Saint Peter.¹¹

However, Philipp Wilhelm also loved finepainting. From the cabinet De Bye in Leiden he bought The dropsical woman by Gerard Dou [22] -- allegedly -- for fl. 30.000 as a gift for Prince Eugen von Savoyen.¹² From Frans van Mieris he acquired ‘the most excellent of his painting’,¹³ possibly The doctor's visit [23] that is now in Munich and came from Düsseldorf.¹⁴ Yet he appears not to have intended to form a real art collection. The Heidelberg cabinet of paintings of Elector Carl II, whose Electoral Palatinate he inherited in 1685, escapes him and falls to Philip II of Orleans, brother of Louis XIV; he was sufficiently pleased to be allowed to have some of the paintings copied!¹⁵

21
studio of Joachim von Sandrart (I)
Portrait of duke Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine (1615-1690)
Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, inv./cat.nr. 6786