Artist: Sybrand Van Beest
Date: 1632
Size: 48 x 79 cm
Technique: Oil On Panel
This painting by Sybrand van Beest records the first official visit to the Dutch Republic on 4 November 1631 of the Russians, who were seeking military assistance prior to going to war with Poland.9 The encounter was surrounded by a great deal of ceremonial and would have attracted considerable attention in The Hague. The picture shows the magnificently robed emissaries crossing the Binnenhof in procession on their way to the Ridderzaal (Knights’ Hall), where the meeting was to take place. They are entering through the Stadhouderspoort, which closes the scene off on the left and is broader than it is in reality. The fifth man from the left is carrying a sealed letter from the tsar on a cushion, while others are bearing gifts of sable pelts. Two Russian ambassadors wearing tall hats of fox fur are bringing up the rear. Van Beest chose an interesting vantage point by showing the back of the procession, not the front. This enabled him not only to depict the emissaries and their gifts but also the thirteenth-century Binnenhof, the inner court of the former castle of the counts of Holland, of which the Ridderzaal was the most important hall. An event of this kind would have been painted on commission, but the name of the person who ordered it is unknown. The Rijksmuseum painting is often considered to be Van Beest’s first known one, although it is undated.10 The fact that the legation went to The Hague in 1631 seems to have led to the conclusion that he probably depicted the scene shortly afterwards. It certainly could be his oldest work, but that is far from certain. An early execution is likely, since the figures taking up so much space is a characteristic of Van Beest’s initial output.11 Some of them, such as the man fifth from the left, look elongated and are leaning backwards in an unnatural pose. Outstretched figures are also found in the oeuvre of Adriaen van de Venne, with whom Buijsen perceived similarities in style.12 The garment folds are also unrealistic, and the movement they are meant to suggest is unconvincing and leaves their wearers looking stiff. Only one other historical scene by Van Beest is known today, showing the departure of Queen Henrietta Maria from the beach at Scheveningen on 29 January 1643.13 It was commissioned by the Hague civic guardsmen, who were rendered in all their finery at the front.14 It is worth noting that the figures in that painting are on a far smaller scale than those in the Rijksmuseum panel. According to Jan Sysmus, city physician of Amsterdam, Van Beest also depicted the embarkation of King Charles II of England at Scheveningen in 1658, which is now lost.15 A drawing with a grey wash with almost exactly the same scene as in the Rijksmuseum picture is probably a copy after it.16 The only slight difference seems to be in the position of the dog’s head. There are no drawn works that can be securely attributed to Van Beest, and although the ones that are given to him do show stylistic similarities to this sheet, it is still unclear whether it is autograph or not. Marrigje Rikken, 2022 See Key to abbreviations, Rijksmuseum painting catalogues and Acknowledgements
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