36 - Adriaen Pietersz Van de VENNE (1589–1662)

Adriaen Pietersz Van de VENNE (1589–1662) Wealth leads to luxury and abundance; the poor must use their ingenuity to survive Pair of oak panels, single plank, unparqueted. (Historic restorations.) Height: 38 cm; Width: 28.9 cm Initially active as a painter, Adriaen Pietersz van de Venne simultaneously developed a significant career as a draftsman and illustrator. In Middelburg in 1623, after illustrating Jacob Cats’s books of emblems—which paired an engraving with a motto and a poem offering reflections on vices and misery—Van de Venne theorized the “Sinne-cunst” (Tafereel van Sinne-mal). This art form no longer relied on text but used simple banners bearing moralizing mottos and easily understandable images. Our pair of grisaille works follows this model and highlights the contrast between wealth and poverty: “Rijckdom soeckt weelde,” “wealth seeks luxury,” evoking the excess born of abundance, while *Armoe soeckt list*, “poverty resorts to cunning,” serves to temper the former by reminding us of the stratagems to which those in need must resort. With the aim of reaching a broad audience, Van de Venne’s banner-style compositions took various forms, such as grisaille works intended for art enthusiasts, polychrome paintings for a more affluent clientele, and engravings designed to ensure wider distribution. However, although the technique may change, Van de Venne does not hesitate to reuse the same visual formulas, adapting them to his various audiences without them being mere copies. Expert: Stéphane PINTA | TURQUIN Firm