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Portrait of Susanna van Collen
(Baroque Europe )
Susanna van Collen (1606-37) wears the simple, loose garments, gaily-striped silk scarf from Asia, and uncovered hair (with pearls from the East Indies) of a wealthy lady posing as a shepherdess of antiquity. This portrait is one of a pair (with Walters 38.226) that was probably made to commemorate the marriage in 1626 of Jan Pellicorne (1597-after 1653) and Susanna van Collen, both from wealthy merchant families.
X-rays show that Poelenburch initially painted the couple in sober everyday attire with starched ruff collars, so Susanna looked more like the mother in the "Portrait of a Family". After Susanna's portrait was completed, and Jan's half executed, they decided to have themselves depicted instead in the newly fashionable, lighthearted manner. Then, after seven years of marriage and parenthood, the couple returned to the conventional style for portraits commissioned from an Amsterdam painter in Rembrandt's circle.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Valckenier-Pellicorne family; Valckenier (1731-1784), by inheritance; Abraham Jay Fink [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; A. Jay Fink Foundation, Inc., Baltimore, 1963, by bequest [A-76]; Walters Art Museum, 1963, by gift.
Exhibitions
| 1998-2001 | Highlights from the Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 2000 | Small Northern European Portraits from The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. National Gallery of Art, Washington. |
| 1997-1998 | Masters of Light: Dutch Painters in Utrecht During the Golden Age. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco; The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore; The National Gallery, London. |
| 1980-1981 | The Golden Age: Dutch Seventeenth Century Portraiture. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota. |
| 1958-1959 | Four Centuries of Miniature Painting from the Collections of the A. Jay Fink Foundation, Inc. and A.J. Fink, Personally. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 6/11/1964 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 9/2/1980 | Treatment | examined for loan |
Geographies
Netherlands, Utrecht
(Place of Origin)
Netherlands (Kid-Friendly)
Measurements
H: 3 7/8 x W: 3 in. (9.84 x 7.62 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the A. Jay Fink Foundation, Inc., in memory of Abraham Jay Fink, 1963
Location in Museum
Charles Street: Second Floor: 17th-Century Dutch Cabinet Rooms
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
38.227
