1038 - Matthijs Naiveu

Matthijs Naiveu Mardi Gras Oil on canvas (relined). 54.5 x 64 cm. Signed lower right: Matthijs Naiveu F(ecit). Provenance Private collection, Belgium. 'Mardi Gras', literally 'Fat Tuesday', is the French name for the day before Ash Wednesday. In Dutch, however, the occasion is most commonly known as 'Vastenavond' – the last night of the carnival festivities. The term harks back to a time when there were no means of storing food and Lent began on Ash Wednesday; all provisions that had survived the winter had to be consumed, until everyone had eaten enough to sustain themselves through the period before the new spring harvests. The genre painter Matthijs Naiveu was in his day best known for his carnival scenes, scenes from the 'commedia dell'arte', theatrical groups and festive gatherings, which he typically depicted in nocturnal settings. The lively, multi-figured procession with a carnival prince enthroned on a chair is a particularly atmospheric example of his art. In this work, Naiveu draws on the tradition of Sebastian Vrancx, who painted comparable night scenes with colourful masquerades, as well as on the art of the so-called 'Bamboccianti'.