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Paulus Moreelse – Portrait of a Gentleman-by Paulus Moreelse-

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Paulus Moreelse

Dutch painter Paulus Moreelse, who was born in 1571 and died on March 6, 1638, specialized in portraiture.

Moreelse studied under Michiel Jansz.van Mierevelt, a portrait painter from Delft who had studied under Anthonie van Blocklandt.

During his studies tour to Italy, he obtained numerous commissions for portraits. He rejoined his hometown of Utrecht in 1596 and joined the guild of Saint Luke, known then as the zadelaarsgilde.

Along with Abraham Bloemaert, he helped form the “St. Lucas-Gilde” painters’ guild in 1611, serving as its first deken.

The entire Dutch Republic hired him, a well-known portrait artist, to paint their portraits. His first pieces date from 1606.

In addition to portraits, he also created a few historical works in the Mannerist genre and pastoral settings with herders and shepherds in the 1620s. Here are 10 remarkable facts about Paulus Moreelse.

1. Most of Moreelse’s life was spent in Utrecht, where he was born

Moreelse, who was raised in affluent circumstances in Utrecht, studied in Delft under portraitist Michiel van Mierevelt.

The ability to experience the artistic output south of the Alps firsthand during a future trip stint in Italy improved his study.

Prior to 1611, when Moreelse and Abraham Bloemaert (among others) created the city’s chapter of the Guild of St. Luke, he had returned to Utrecht by 1596 and joined the saddle-maker’s guild, to which painters belonged.

2. Since 1998, two paintings by this artist have fetched the highest prices at auction

Paulus Moreelse-Schurman-by Paulus Moreelse-

 Paulus Moreelse’s art has already been displayed in a number of important galleries and museums, including Rijksmuseum Schiphol.

Multiple times, Paulus Moreelse’s artwork has been put up for auction. Realized prices have ranged from 349 USD to 548,477 USD, depending on the size and material of the piece.

Since 1998, two paintings by this artist have fetched the highest prices at auction.

One is a portrait of a lady, three-quarter length in an embroidered black dress with lace cuffs and ruff, sold at Christie’s London in 1999.

The other is a portrait of a gentleman, three-quarter length in a black doublet with slashed sleeves, black hose, and sash, his gloves in his left hand. 

3. He was involved in the city’s civic life

Moorelse was not just a prominent painter in Utrecht but also an active member of the community.

In 1618, he became a town council member and later backed the establishment of the city’s university.

Because of his public persona, Moreelse’s artistic career was able to grow and he received numerous prestigious commissions.

4. Granida provided ample subject matter for him

The flute-playing shepherds painted by Giorgione and his school, which Moreelse and his contemporaries may have encountered on their Italian trips, serve as the creative model for his painting of a shepherdess and the following lot of a shepherd.

The earliest editions of Arcadian and pastoral literature were printed in the Low Countries in the early 1600s, despite the fact that they had been distributed throughout Western Europe for centuries prior.

One of the most well-known of them was Pieter Cornelisz Hooft’s drama Granida, which explored the tension between idealistic love and overt erotica.

Granida, which was published in 1615, gave Moreelse plenty to work with when he began painting amorous shepherds and shepherdesses in 1622.

The elite of Utrecht consumed these images with fervor, appealing to both their noble and baser sensibilities.

5. Moreelse made many attractive paintings of a shepherdess

Moreelse, Paulus – Mythological Portrait – 1633-by Paulus Moreelse-

The first half-length pastoral figure in Dutch art is this endearing Shepherdess by Paulus Moreelse, painted in 1617.

In the 1620s, the topic gained enormous popularity, originally primarily in Utrecht but later also in other places.

20 waist-length shepherdesses and five shepherds painted by renowned portrait and historical painter Moreelse have been saved.

From beneath her straw hat, the young woman, who is facing left with her head slightly inclined, seduces the viewer.

She fills the full picture surface against a dark background, and the staff in her right-hand makes it simple to identify her as a shepherdess.

Her hat, which casts a shadow over her face, is embellished with a red rose and a garland of leaves, symbols of Venus, the goddess of love. Her blonde hair is plaited and hangs down to her shoulders.

She covers her low-cut white shirt with an oriental scarf with striped patterns. 4 Her breasts reveal a red bodice and undergarment.

6. He was one of the first Dutch artists to picture shepherds and shepherdesses in Arcadian style

Paul Moreelse – Cimon and Pero – NG 1024 – National Gallery of Scotland-by Paulus Moreelse-

Although there doesn’t seem to be a clear visual precedent, Moreelse’s shepherdesses are reminiscent of half-length female figures painted in the Italian, German, and Dutch schools of the previous century.

Earlier works that represent the Annunciation to the Shepherds or the Adoration of the Shepherds provide prototypes for his pastoral characters. Around 1600, the pastoral genre spread to the northern Netherlands. 

Among the earliest Dutch Arcadian illustrations are Hendrick Goltzius’s woodcuts, which accompanied Van Mander’s 1597 translation of Virgil’s well-known Eclogae.

7. Some of Moreelse’s provocative shepherdesses included a male pendant

Some of Moreelse’s provocative shepherdesses included a male pendant, despite the fact that most of them were intended to be standalone paintings.

For instance, the States of Utrecht gave Amalia van Solms a Shepherd and Shepherdess by Moreelse in the spring of 1627, most likely in honor of her husband’s appointment as stadholder of Utrecht in November 1626.

8. He also worked as an architect

At the start of the seventeenth century, the phenomenon of the painter as an architect was not as widespread in the Northern Netherlands as it was in Antwerp and Brussels, but it was also not wholly unknown.

In 1621, a new city gate was required. The Council asked the painter Paulus Moreelse, who was also a member, to design it and oversee construction.

Before 1615, Moreelse visited Rome, and his design for the St. Catherine’s Gate is unmistakably influenced by his time there.

He constructed the Catharijnepoort (1626; destroyed ca. 1850) and probably the Vleeshuis (1637; still standing) on Voorstraat.

9. He was involved in politics

Together with Abraham Bloemaert, he helped found the Utrecht Guild in 1596, and he served as the organization’s first president.

The engraving of Diana and Callisto in his work was done by Jan Saenredam. He was kicked out of the council in 1618 when the anti-remonstrants took control in Utrecht.

Commissions for Moreelse came from all throughout the Dutch Republic. 

10. Moreelse traveled to Italy for academic purposes

Venus and Adonis by Paulus Moreelse Centraal Museum 30227-by Paulus Moreelse-

After receiving two years of instruction with Michiel van Mierevelt in Delft, Moreelse traveled for a considerable amount of time to Italy.

He is likely to have seen Titian’s painting and drawn inspiration for his art there. 

Famous for his portraiture, Paulus Moreelse was hired by clients from all throughout the Dutch Republic.

 He created pastoral settings with herders and shepherds in the 1620s in addition to some historical paintings in the Mannerist genre.