Jan Martszen de Jonge, also known as Jan Martszen the Younger, stands as a notable, if sometimes overlooked, figure within the vibrant artistic tapestry of the Dutch Golden Age. Active primarily during the second quarter of the 17th century, he carved a distinct niche for himself as a specialist in depicting the dynamic and often brutal reality of warfare, particularly cavalry skirmishes and battle scenes. His work, encompassing both paintings and etchings, captures the energy, chaos, and martial prowess that characterized a period rife with conflict across Europe.
Origins and Artistic Formation
Born around 1609, likely in Dieppe, a coastal town in Normandy, France, Jan Martszen de Jonge's early life saw his family relocate to the bustling mercantile and artistic hub of Amsterdam. This move would prove pivotal, placing him at the center of the Dutch Republic's cultural flourishing. It was in Amsterdam that his artistic training commenced, and he had the distinct advantage of learning from prominent masters who would shape his thematic and stylistic preferences.
One of his most significant teachers was Esaias van de Velde (c. 1587–1630). Van de Velde was a highly innovative artist, a pioneer in Dutch realistic landscape painting and also one of the earliest Dutch painters to specialize in cavalry skirmishes and battle scenes. His influence on Martszen is undeniable, particularly in the choice of subject matter and the lively, almost anecdotal, depiction of military engagements. From van de Velde, Martszen would have absorbed techniques for rendering dynamic compositions, the spirited movement of horses, and the varied interactions of soldiers in combat.
The artistic environment of Amsterdam was rich with talent. While Esaias van de Velde was a primary influence, Martszen would have been aware of the works of other artists exploring similar themes or related genres. For instance, Sebastian Vrancx (1573–1647), a Flemish painter, was highly influential in popularizing battle scenes, and his work was known in the Netherlands. Though slightly earlier, the detailed military prints of Jacques de Gheyn II (1565–1629) also contributed to a visual vocabulary of warfare that artists like Martszen could draw upon.
Thematic Focus: The Cavalry Charge and Battle's Fury
Jan Martszen de Jonge's oeuvre is overwhelmingly dominated by scenes of warfare. He demonstrated a particular fondness and skill for portraying cavalry engagements – the thundering charge of horsemen, the clash of swords, the discharge of pistols and muskets at close range. His works are not typically grand, panoramic depictions of entire battles in the manner of some Flemish artists like Pieter Snayers (1592–1667), who often worked on a monumental scale for aristocratic patrons. Instead, Martszen often focused on smaller, more intimate skirmishes, highlighting the individual actions and valor of the soldiers involved.
His paintings and etchings are characterized by a sense of immediacy and vigorous movement. Horses are rendered with anatomical understanding, captured in full gallop, rearing, or falling in the heat of battle. The soldiers, clad in contemporary armor and wielding period weaponry, are depicted with an attention to detail that lends authenticity to his scenes. He masterfully conveyed the dust, smoke, and confusion of combat, creating compositions that are both exciting and dramatically charged.
This focus on cavalry reflects the changing nature of warfare in the 17th century, where mounted troops played a crucial role in reconnaissance, skirmishing, and delivering decisive charges. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and the later stages of the Eighty Years' War (Dutch War of Independence, 1568–1648) provided ample contemporary subject matter and likely fueled a market for such images among a populace keenly aware of ongoing military struggles.
Signature Works and Artistic Output
Jan Martszen de Jonge was prolific in both oil painting and etching. His etchings, in particular, allowed for wider dissemination of his compositions and contributed significantly to his reputation. A notable series of his etchings depicting cavalry battles was published by Claes Jansz. Visscher (1587–1652), a prominent Amsterdam-based engraver, printmaker, and publisher. Visscher himself was an accomplished artist and played a crucial role in the Dutch print market, making works by artists like Martszen accessible to a broader audience.
Among Martszen's representative works in print is Cavalry soldiers with pistols on galloping horses, dated around 1640. This etching exemplifies his skill in capturing high-octane action. The horses are shown at full stretch, their manes and tails flying, while the riders lean into their charge, pistols aimed. The composition is dynamic, with strong diagonal lines conveying speed and force. Another similar piece, Three cavalrymen engaged in close combat (also c. 1640), focuses on the brutal reality of hand-to-hand fighting, showcasing the intensity of a melee. These prints often feature a low horizon line, emphasizing the figures and the dramatic sky.
In oil, Martszen's Skirmish in the Thirty Years' War, dated around 1647 (the year of his presumed death), demonstrates his capabilities in the painted medium. Such works would have involved more complex layering of colors and a richer textural quality than etchings. These paintings often maintain the dynamism of his prints but allow for greater subtlety in the depiction of light, atmosphere, and the varied textures of armor, fabric, and horseflesh. While specific details about a series of "ten paintings of Spanish infantry" are scarce in readily available scholarship, it suggests a broader interest in depicting different aspects of military life and formations beyond just cavalry.
His contemporaries in the Dutch Republic who also specialized in or frequently depicted battle scenes include Palamedes Palamedesz. (I) (1607–1638), whose works often share a similar focus on cavalry skirmishes and a lively, somewhat raw energy. Pieter Post (1608–1669), primarily known as an architect, also painted battle scenes. Later, Philips Wouwerman (1619–1668) would become the undisputed master of the cavalry scene, developing the genre to a peak of refinement and popularity, but Martszen was an important figure in establishing its vocabulary in the Dutch context. Other artists like Jan Jacobsz. van der Stoffe (c. 1611–1682) and Abraham van der Hoef (c. 1611–1666) also worked in this popular genre.
The Art of Etching in Martszen's Hands
The medium of etching was particularly well-suited to Martszen's style and subject matter. Unlike the more laborious process of engraving, etching allowed for greater freedom and spontaneity in line work, enabling artists to capture a sense of movement and energy more directly. Martszen exploited these qualities to great effect. His etched lines are often vigorous and expressive, defining form and suggesting texture with an economy of means.
The accessibility of prints meant that images of contemporary events, including battles, could circulate widely. This contributed to a shared visual culture and provided a form of visual reportage, albeit often romanticized or dramatized. Martszen's etchings would have appealed to a public interested in military affairs, heroism, and the spectacle of war. His ability to convey complex scenes with multiple figures and horses in dynamic motion within the confines of a relatively small copper plate speaks to his compositional skill and mastery of the etching needle. Artists like Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), though vastly different in his overall scope, also extensively used etching, demonstrating the medium's versatility and importance in the Dutch Golden Age.
Teaching and Influence: Jan Asselijn
One of the most significant aspects of Jan Martszen de Jonge's career, beyond his own artistic output, was his role as a teacher. His most famous pupil was Jan Asselijn (c. 1610/1616–1652). Asselijn would go on to become a highly regarded painter, particularly known for his Italianate landscapes, often featuring Roman ruins, sun-drenched vistas, and pastoral scenes with animals. He was a key member of the second generation of Dutch Italianate painters.
While Asselijn's mature style diverged significantly from Martszen's focus on battle scenes, the foundational training he received would have been crucial. Learning under Martszen, Asselijn would have honed his skills in drawing figures and animals, particularly horses, and in creating dynamic compositions. This grounding in depicting movement and form would have served him well, even as his thematic interests shifted towards the Arcadian landscapes he encountered or imagined from Italy. The connection between Martszen, the battle painter, and Asselijn, the Italianate landscapist, highlights the interconnectedness of the Amsterdam art scene and the varied paths artists could take after their initial training. It's also worth noting that Asselijn himself was known for his depictions of animals, a skill perhaps partly nurtured during his time with Martszen.
Contextualizing Martszen: War and Art in the Dutch Golden Age
The Dutch Golden Age was a period of extraordinary artistic production, but it was also a time defined by conflict. The Eighty Years' War against Spain only concluded in 1648 with the Peace of Münster, and the devastating Thirty Years' War ravaged much of Central Europe during Martszen's lifetime. This pervasive military context naturally found expression in the art of the period.
Battle painting became a recognized genre, catering to a patriotic citizenry and a market interested in depictions of martial valor and contemporary events. Unlike history painting, which often drew on biblical or classical subjects, battle scenes offered a more immediate connection to the realities and anxieties of the time. Artists like Martszen provided a visual narrative of these conflicts, sometimes specific, often generic, but always imbued with the drama of combat. His works can be seen alongside other forms of military-themed art, such as the "guardroom scenes" (kortegaardjes) popularized by painters like Willem Duyster (1599–1635) and Pieter Codde (1599–1678), which depicted soldiers at leisure, or the more formal group portraits of civic guards, famously exemplified by Rembrandt's The Night Watch.
The demand for such imagery was not limited to paintings. Prints, as Martszen's career demonstrates, were a vital medium for disseminating these themes. The works of artists like Adriaen van de Venne (1589–1662), who also depicted battles and scenes with cavalry, often in a more narrative or allegorical style, further illustrate the period's fascination with military subjects.
Distinguishing Jan Martszen de Jonge
It is important to distinguish Jan Martszen de Jonge from other artists with similar names to avoid confusion, a common challenge in Dutch art historical research. The information provided in the initial query mentioned potential confusion with "Jan Martsen Schenck" or a "Jan Mertens." These indeed appear to be separate individuals, and there is no scholarly consensus linking them directly to Jan Martszen de Jonge, the battle painter.
A more significant point of potential confusion arises from mentions of a Jan Mertens connected with earlier artists like Jan Gossaert (c. 1478–1532) and as the father-in-law of Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502–1550). Given Jan Martszen de Jonge's birth date of circa 1609, these connections are chronologically impossible for him. This earlier "Jan Mertens" likely refers to Jan Mertens van Dornicke (active c. 1505 – c. 1527), also known as the Master of 1518. Jan Mertens van Dornicke was indeed a contemporary of Gossaert in Antwerp, and his daughter, Anna van Dornicke, married Pieter Coecke van Aelst. It is crucial to separate this earlier Antwerp-based artist from the 17th-century Amsterdam battle painter Jan Martszen de Jonge. The "de Jonge" (the Younger) in Martszen's name itself suggests an older artist of a similar name, possibly his father or another relative, but not one with the Gossaert/Coecke van Aelst connections.
His own son, Jacob Martens (sometimes Martszen, c. 1636–c. 1667, though dates vary in sources, with some suggesting an earlier birth around 1620 and death around 1680), also became a painter, reportedly specializing in landscapes, continuing the family's artistic pursuits into another generation.
Final Years and Legacy
Jan Martszen de Jonge's career, though relatively short, was impactful within his chosen specialization. He is believed to have died in Amsterdam around 1647, or possibly 1648, at the height of his artistic powers and just as the long period of war that had shaped his era was drawing to a close with the Peace of Westphalia.
His legacy lies in his contribution to the genre of battle painting in the Dutch Republic. He was a skilled draftsman and a dynamic composer of scenes filled with energy and martial spirit. Through his paintings and, perhaps more importantly, his widely circulated etchings, he helped to popularize the theme of the cavalry skirmish, capturing the imagination of his contemporaries. While artists like Philips Wouwerman would later achieve greater fame and refinement in this genre, Martszen's work represents an important phase in its development, characterized by a directness and vigor that reflects the turbulent times in which he lived. He remains a testament to the diversity of artistic production in the Dutch Golden Age, where even specialized genres found accomplished practitioners and an appreciative audience. His tutelage of Jan Asselijn also underscores his role within the broader artistic community of Amsterdam, contributing to the training of a painter who would achieve renown in a very different, yet equally celebrated, field of Dutch art.
