RKD STUDIES

Like most patrons of his time, Johann Wilhelm loved the Dutch finepainters and decorative still-lifes most of all (Grupello and the Italians at his court are not discussed here). He tried to engage the best and ‘most expensive’ artists, whereas the Brandenburg court had to settle for second-rate. But we would not do justice to his artistic aspirations if we would not pay attention to his activity as a collector as well. In this, his taste is certainly superior to all his contemporaries. ‘I don’t know’, writes Frans von Reber, ‘if ever there was put together a collection of such a small number as the one in Düsseldorf, which lists only 348 paintings, in a similar choice and prominence. Not in Germany anyway’.¹ Here we do not talk about the 40 Rubens paintings and the 17 Van Dycks, nor of other Flemings and Italians. We only allude to the collection of Dutch fine painters because it precisely fits our idea of court art in general: seven paintings of Gerard Dou [1-5], five by Godefridus Schalcken,² of Frans Mieris I also no less than seven pictures [6-11], Twelfth night by Gabriel Metsu [12], three small paintings by Cornelis van Poelenburch [13-15] etc.³

1
Gerard Dou
The quack, dated 1652
Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, inv./cat.nr. St.4

Johann Wilhelm also owned the Passion series by Rembrandt, consisting of six panels [16-21] that were painted by the artist for Frederik Hendrik.⁴ Part of the group was also a seventh painting (now only known in the form of a copy) representing the Circumcision [22],⁵ a self-portrait of the artist Flinck and Gerbrand van den Eeckhout [23] were represented in his collection as well.

Jan Steen’s Love-sick lady [24] and seven paintings by Adriaen Brouwer [25-27] demonstrate that Johann Wilhelm’s understanding of art went further than Johann Wilhelm’s love for the finepainting of Adriaen van der Werff.⁶

The Italian landscapes were more appreciated than those of the national school, that was not represented with a single painting! Jan Both’s painting Mercury and Argus [28], a painting that was mentioned in the painter’s will, ended up in his collection, together with some other works, and Nicolaes Berchem is well represented with six paintings [29-32]. Adriaen van der Velde [33-34], Jan Asselyn [35], Willem Romeyn, Theodoor Helmbreker, Willem de Heusch and Pieter van Laer [36] complete this group. Philips Wouwerman [37-39] and Jan Baptist Weenix were not lacking. And so we can enumerate many other things, as the curious reader can explore in the old catalogues of the collection or in the new ones of the Pinakothek of Munich.⁷

28
and Nicolaes Knüpfer and Jan Baptist Weenix Jan Both
Italianate landscape with Mercury and Argus, dated 1650
Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, inv./cat.nr. 140

Under Johann Wilhelm the gallery was maintained by Jan Frans van Douven.⁸ He surely bought many things himself, as is suggested from the large amounts of money that were paid to him (see above). If this indeed was the case, Van Douven deserves more attention than he has received to so far. In the Netherlands Johann Wilhelm had Jan Baptist Tijssens II (1657-after 1723)⁹ as an agent, who was also authorized to buy paintings. Later Douven was accompanied by Gerhard Joseph Karsch (active 1700-1719), who was appointed as gallery inspector by Karl Philipp [40]. For the rest, Karl Philipp did not contribute to the increase of the collection. A part of the collection he had conveyed to Mannheim, where he had relocated his residence.

40
attributed to Jan Frans van Douven
Portrait of Elector Karl III Philipp of the Palatine, after 1716
Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, inv./cat.nr. Gm 800