Friday, July 16, 2010

Vermeer and the Yellow Bodice

Researching the portraits of Johannes Vermeer, yet another yellow bodice keeps popping up! It is a little 'heavier' visually than the Terborch bodice. As you can see in the paintings below, the trim is a lot wider than the Terborch bodice - still multiple rows of trim, but definitely a wider trim; velvet ribbon? The cuffs are black, not yellow. At the waist are tabs (something that is not seen on all similar bodices of the period) that are bordered in black. Like the Terborch bodice, the neckline of the bodice is bound with a narrow black binding. CF seems to be bordered with black trim as well.

Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, 1657, Johannes Vermeer


Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window (detail), 1657, Johannes Vermeer



Officer with a Laughing Girl, 1657, Johannes Vermeer


Young Woman with a Water Jug (detail), 1660-62, Johannes Vermeer


A Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman (detail), 1662-65, Johannes Vermeer

Look, a rare back view! The back-most (is that even a word?) two tabs are visible, but it looks like the other tabs are tucked into the waist of the over-skirt. I wonder how many tabs are actually tucked in...

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Dutch Baroque

For a while lately, I've been incredibly interested in Dutch Baroque genre paintings, and the costume of the latter half of the 1600s in Holland. The other day as I was perusing the paintings of Pieter de Hooch, I found this:



Now this painting is not by Pieter de Hooch, as far as I can ascertain; unfortunately, I can't remember WHO the artist is! I have perused the Web Gallery of Art for hours trying to find the artist again, with little luck. If you know, please tell me!

Anyway, when re-perusing the work of Pieter de Hooch, I did find this, which is actually by Gerard Terborch, found in the WGA here. The colour and trim details are remarkably similar to the painting above, with a few differences; finer trim, a few less rows, a wider cuff... this painting is called The Concert c. 1657.

The Concert, Gerard Terborch, 1657


I think I will investigate the style of this era next...