While everyone is getting excited about the Vermeer exhibition at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, it would be a big mistake to overlook the exhibition dedicated to the work of another Dutch master, Jacobus Vrel (c.1617-1662), on show at the Mauritshuis in The Hague until 29 May 2023. It is worth noting that this is the first ever monographic exhibition dedicated to this artist. VREL, FORERUNNER OF VERMEER https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/what-s-on/exhibitions/jacobus-vrel/
The exhibition is very intimate, occupying only two rooms and presenting 13 of the 50 paintings currently attributed to Vrel, and the story it reveals arouses curiosity and excitement, as Jacobus Vrel is a highly mysterious figure in art history. Why? Because for a long time he was forgotten, then often confused with Vermeer. Then it was thought that Vrel was an imitator of Vermeer, while the latest discoveries prove conclusively that the opposite was true – it was Vermeer who was inspired by Vrel’s paintings! In addition, there is no mention of Jacobus Vrel in any documents known to us. With one exception, on which we base our certainty that Vrel did in fact live and paint.
The exhibition opens with an introduction of the three art historians to whom Vrel owes his rediscovery and his place in the pantheon of Dutch painting. They were: Théophile Thoré, Cornelis Hofstede de Groot and Clotilde Brière – Misma. Thoré, researching Vermeer’s oeuvre, came across the works of Jacobus Vrel, mistakenly attributing the latter’s paintings to Vermeer. The mistake was all the easier to make as the initials of both artists are identical – JV. The mistake was rectified by Hofstede de Groot, who wrote an article in 1903 that restored Vrel’s own identity. Clotilde Brière – Misme was one of very few women in French art history at that time, and it was her who published the first monographic article on Vrel in 1935.
Next, we have 13 paintings arranged not in chronological order but rather to illustrate the convergence of the two artists’ interests. Most of the works depict street scenes and domestic interiors of rather affluent houses, always with a female figure, sometimes accompanied by a child or its reflection in the window. The technique, the light and the love of detail are also similar. Even the composition of the painting often prompts comparisons with Vermeer – the window on the left (from the viewer’s perspective), which lets in a stream of light falling on the female figure in the centre.
There are also differences. Vrel painted exclusively on panels, while Vermeer preferred canvas. The perspective in Vrel’s is still a little naïve and understated, while the details are taken very literally. Thematically set in the 17th century, his paintings have something of the late Middle Ages. The female figures are often depicted standing backwards, never making eye contact with the viewer. The interiors are modest and empty, although it seems they are part of wealthy homes. Vrel often signed his works, but his signatures varied greatly, not only graphically but also in terms of spelling, being sometimes more German, sometimes more French. This may indicate that his painted for clients outside the Netherlands, but it does not make the job any easier for researchers, who are haunted by doubts with each successive signature pattern.
Almost anything about Vrel is a mystery. What we are certain of is that three of his paintings were included in an art collection owned by Archduke Leopold Wilhem of Habsburg who was a governor of the Southern Netherlands from 1647 till 1656. The collection was one of the greatest in 17th century. By the time Leopold was to return to Vienna he asked the Flemish painter, David Teniers the Younger to prepare an inventory. Vrel is mentioned there three times, as an author of: Landscape with Two Men and a Woman Conversing, Interior with a Woman Sleeping by the Fireplace and Woman Leaning out of the Open Window, the last one being the only painting dated by Vrel himself (1654). The inventory is the only solid written evidence confirming Vrel’s existence and authorship.
Stylistic analysis and dendrological examination of the panels he painted on confirm the findings that Jacobus Vrel lived and worked before Vermeer. Now, the question is – have they ever met? Or, has Vermeer ever seen Vrel’s works and got inspired by them since there is such significant resemblance?
Some tips to answer these questions can be found in the texts accompanying the paintings and in beautifully edited catalogue.
I haven’t seen such an intriguing exhibition for a long time. It is small and intimate, giving plenty of time to contemplate quiet interiors with people busy with everyday chores or to ponder if a child’s blurry reflection in the window is just what it is or is it a ghost? Take a closer look at the windows on the pictures above. Whose reflection can yo see?
There is so much in the haze about Vrel. It is unusual these days to come across a story in art history that is not fully revealed yet. And yes, I admit it gave me a thrill and excitement to touch the mystery from the past.