Susanna Fourment and Her Daughter
Sir Anthony van Dyck·1621
Historical Context
Moretto da Brescia's Madonna and Child with Saints and Donor (c. 1530) combines the altarpiece format with the donor portrait, embedding the patron who commissioned the work within the sacred scene as a witness to divine presence. This type — the kneeling donor presented to the Madonna by a patron saint — had a long history in Italian painting, and Moretto's version follows established conventions while bringing his characteristic naturalistic precision to the donor's portrait. The donor figure in Moretto's altarpieces is typically rendered with the same careful observation as his independent portraits, creating a striking contrast between the idealized sacred figures and the particularized human presence of the contemporary patron.
Technical Analysis
The double portrait balances the formal dignity of the mother with the natural charm of the child. Van Dyck's handling of the rich costume fabrics shows his mastery of tonal painting, with deep blacks and subtle highlights creating visual richness.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the double portrait balancing formal dignity of the mother with the natural charm of the child.
- ◆Look at the deep blacks and subtle highlights creating visual richness in Van Dyck's mastery of tonal painting.
- ◆Observe how the rich costume fabrics demonstrate his characteristic handling of complex textile surfaces.
Provenance
Probably Anna Theresia van Halen; (her sale, Antwerp, 19 August 1749, no. 1); Gaillard de Gagny (receiver of finances), Grenoble;[1] (his estate sale, Pierre Remy, Paris, 29 March 1762, no. 9); purchased by Jean-Henri Eberts for Markgräfin Karoline Luise von Baden [1723-1783];[2] (her sale, Amsterdam, 6 March 1769, no. 3); Etienne-François, duc de Choiseul [1719-1785], Paris and Château de Canteloup, Touraine; (his sale, at his residence, Paris, 6-10 April 1772, no. 1); purchased through (Augustin Ménageot, Paris) by Prince Alexander M. Golitzyn for Catherine II, empress of Russia [1729-1796], for the Imperial Hermitage Gallery, Saint Petersburg;[3] purchased March 1930, as a painting by Peter Paul Rubens, through (Matthiesen Gallery, Berlin; P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., London; and M. Knoedler & Co., New York) by Andrew W. Mellon, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.; deeded 30 March 1932 to The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh;[4] gift 1937 to NGA. [1] The sale of the collection of Anna Theresia van Halen is described by Gerard Hoet, _Catalogues of naamlyst van schilderyen, met derzelver pryzen, zedert een langen reeks van jaaren zoo in Holland als op andere plaatzen in het openbaar verkogt, benevens een verzameling van listen van verscheyden nog in wezen zynde cabinetten_, 3 vols., The Hague, 1752-1770: 2:256. The provenance back to the Gaillard de Gagny sale is described by Jan Lauts, "Einiges über Markgräfin Karoline Luise von Baden als Gemäldesammlerin," _Jahrbuch der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen in Baden-Württemberg_ 15 (1978): 49, 53-56. [2] The correspondence between Eberts and the Markgräfin has been digitized; see the website _Karoline Luise von Baden. Kunst und Korrespondenz_, http://www.karoline-luise.la-bw.de/, launched in late 2016. [3] Eberts in 1762 purchased the painting for 2,050 livres, while Ménageot in 1772 bought it for 7,380 livres. Dr. Nicole Willk-Brocard, in a letter of 19 January 1997, kindly provided information about Ménageot and his role in the sale (in NGA curatorial files); see also her article, "Augustin Ménageot (ca. 1700-1784), Marchand de Tableaux, Quelques Jalons," _Gazette des Beaux-Arts_ (April 1998): 161-182. [4] Mellon purchase date and date deeded to Trust according to Mellon collection files in NGA curatorial records and David Finley's notebook (donated to the National Gallery of Art in 1977 and now in Gallery Archives).
