Matthijs Naiveu, Elegant Company in an Interior

Lot description

Signed centrally (to the mantlepiece): NaiveuAt first glance, the present work may simply appear to depict a group of elegant courtly or bourgeoisie figures in an opulently decorated interior. However, both the classically inspired clothing of the two main protagonists, as well as the harlequin's costume carried upon the arm of the man on the right edge of the work indicate that we are in fact observing a theatre production.The scene was already recognised as such in the catalogue to the exhibition “Vom Adel der Malerei” shown in Cologne, Dordrecht and Kassel in 2006/2007. In her 2007 dissertation on Matthijs Naiveu, Adele-Marie Dzidzaria interpreted the scene further (op. cit.). She postulates that it does not show the finished production, but rather a rehearsal, which would explain why the man on the left carries his costume instead of wearing it - he may have come late to practice or not yet changed clothes. This assumption also allows us to interpret the figure of a woman behind the lady with the feathers in her hair, who we can identify as the heroine of the piece, as a tailor making finial adjustments to the protagonist's costume. Dzidzaria assumes the man in the left background to be the impresario of the piece.This is not an entirely unusual motif for Matthijs Naiveu. This painter was born in Leiden and taught by Abraham Toorenvliet the Elder and Gerard Dou - he may even have been Dou's last pupil. Naiveu became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke in 1671 and first began painting genre pieces in the Leiden Fijnschilder tradition, before turning to the depiction of theatre scenes in the late 1670s. His works are characterised by their finely detailed interiors, decorated with gilt stucco, leather wallpaper, fine carpets and furniture.In this interior he has also depicted several paintings on the back wall: A depiction of “Venus and Cupid” flanked by two scenes from Bellérophon above the fireplace. It is uncertain whether the artist intended these paintings as a hint to the piece being staged, as both were popular subjects in contemporary operas and plays. Whatever the production, Naiveu presents us with a highly original, imaginative depiction of a theatre rehearsal in an opulent and vividly coloured setting.