Michiel Carré I, a notable figure from the later period of the Dutch Golden Age, carved a niche for himself as a painter predominantly celebrated for his idyllic landscapes, often populated with livestock and pastoral figures. Active during a time when Dutch art was diversifying and exploring various specializations, Carré’s work reflects both the enduring appeal of Italianate scenery and the Dutch affinity for detailed depictions of the natural and rural world. Though perhaps not as universally renowned as some of his earlier Golden Age predecessors, his career spanned several important European art centers, and his oeuvre contributes to our understanding of late 17th and early 18th-century Dutch painting.
Early Life and Artistic Lineage in Amsterdam
Born in Amsterdam around 1657, Michiel Carré (sometimes spelled Carree or Carrée) was immersed in an artistic environment from a young age. He hailed from a family with artistic inclinations; his father was Franciscus Carré I (c. 1630–1669), a painter who had served as a court painter to Willem Frederik, Prince of Nassau-Dietz, in Leeuwarden before settling in Amsterdam. This familial background likely provided Michiel with initial exposure to the world of art and its practices.
More significantly, his elder brother, Hendrik Carré I (1656–1721), was also a painter, specializing in similar genres of landscape and animal painting. It is widely accepted that Michiel received his foundational artistic training from Hendrik. This sibling tutelage was not uncommon in artistic families of the era, fostering a shared visual language and technical approach that could sometimes be observed in their respective works. Amsterdam, at this time, was a vibrant hub of artistic production and commerce, offering young artists numerous examples and potential avenues for development.
Influences and Development: Nicolaes Berchem and Gabriel van der Leeuw
To further hone his skills, Michiel Carré became a pupil of the highly esteemed Nicolaes Pietersz. Berchem (1620–1683). Berchem was one of the leading figures among the Dutch Italianate painters – artists who, whether they had traveled to Italy or not, specialized in depicting sun-drenched, idealized Italian or Mediterranean landscapes. Berchem’s works are characterized by their warm light, picturesque compositions featuring ancient ruins, rolling hills, and carefully rendered figures of shepherds, peasants, and their animals. His influence on Carré is palpable in the younger artist's preference for pastoral themes and a certain atmospheric quality in his landscapes.
Other pupils of Berchem, such as Karel Dujardin, Abraham Begeyn, Johannes Glauber, and Willem Romeyn, also carried forward this Italianate tradition, each with their own inflections. Carré, working within this popular subgenre, aimed to capture a similar sense of bucolic charm. However, according to the art historian Arnold Houbraken in his "De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen" (The Great Theatre of Dutch Painters and Paintresses), Carré, despite his tutelage under Berchem, also developed a tendency to imitate the style of Gabriel van der Leeuw (1643–1688). Van der Leeuw, son of the animal painter Bastiaen Govertsz van der Leeuw and brother of Pieter van der Leeuw, was known for his cattle and landscape paintings. Houbraken suggests that Carré’s emulation of Van der Leeuw was perhaps to the detriment of fully realizing the more sophisticated potential inherited from Berchem, implying a preference for a somewhat less refined, though still competent, manner.
A Pan-European Career: Amsterdam, England, and Berlin
Michiel Carré’s professional life was not confined to the Netherlands. After establishing himself in Amsterdam, where he is documented as working from around 1686 to 1692, he sought opportunities abroad. Like many Dutch artists of his generation, he traveled to England, working in London from approximately 1692 to 1695. The English art market, particularly after the Restoration, offered patronage opportunities, attracting artists such as Willem van de Velde the Younger and Sir Godfrey Kneller (though Kneller was German-born, he became the leading portrait painter in England). However, sources suggest that Carré’s particular style of landscape and animal painting did not find as much favor in England as he might have hoped, a common experience for some artists whose specializations did not perfectly align with prevailing English tastes.
A more significant phase of his career unfolded in Germany. Around 1697, Carré was invited to Berlin to work for Friedrich III, Elector of Brandenburg, who would later become King Friedrich I of Prussia in 1701. Serving as a court painter was a prestigious position, often involving the creation of works to adorn palaces and glorify the ruler. Carré remained in Berlin for a considerable period, likely until around 1713. During his time at the Prussian court, he would have been part of an international cohort of artists and craftsmen, including figures like the architect and sculptor Andreas Schlüter and the painter Augustin Terwesten, who were instrumental in shaping the Baroque splendor of Berlin. His duties likely included painting landscapes and animal scenes for royal residences, contributing to the decorative schemes favored by the Elector-King.
Return to the Netherlands and Later Years in Alkmaar
After his extended service in Berlin, Michiel Carré returned to his homeland. He eventually settled in Alkmaar, a historic city in North Holland. He is recorded as being active there from around 1713, and it was in Alkmaar that he spent the remainder of his life. He passed away in Alkmaar, with sources indicating his death occurred either in 1727 or 1728. His decision to settle in Alkmaar, rather than returning to the bustling art center of Amsterdam, might suggest a desire for a quieter life or perhaps specific local patronage.
During his later years, he continued to paint, and it is also noted that he took on pupils. One known student of Michiel Carré was the engraver and painter Jan de Visscher, though the exact period of this tutelage is not clearly defined. This teaching role indicates his standing as a respected master in his field, capable of passing on his knowledge and skills to the next generation.
Artistic Style: Pastoral Harmonies and Animal Subjects
Michiel Carré’s artistic output is primarily characterized by landscapes, with a strong emphasis on pastoral scenes featuring cattle, sheep, goats, and occasionally horses, often attended by shepherds or milkmaids. His style aligns with the Italianate tradition, though perhaps with a more distinctly Dutch sensibility in the rendering of animals and local details, even when the overall atmosphere aims for a southern European warmth.
His compositions are typically well-balanced, creating a sense of harmony and tranquility. The landscapes often feature gentle, rolling terrain, sometimes with distant mountains or classical ruins, hallmarks of the Italianate style. The light in his paintings tends to be clear, sometimes suffused with a soft, golden glow reminiscent of the works of artists like Aelbert Cuyp or Adriaen van de Velde, though Carré’s handling might be considered somewhat more robust and less delicate than the latter.
His depiction of animals was a key strength. He rendered cattle and sheep with a good understanding of their anatomy and characteristic poses, making them central elements of his compositions rather than mere accessories. This focus on livestock painting was a well-established tradition in Dutch art, with masters like Paulus Potter setting a high benchmark in the meticulous and naturalistic portrayal of farm animals. Carré operated within this tradition, contributing works that appealed to a market that appreciated rural themes and the depiction of agricultural prosperity.
While he did paint some purely landscape scenes, the integration of figures and animals is a defining feature of his work. These elements provide a narrative focus, however simple, and animate the scenery, inviting the viewer into a peaceful, idealized rural world. His brushwork is generally described as clear and confident, effectively modeling forms and capturing textures, particularly in the rendering of animal hides and foliage.
Representative Works: "Jacob and Esau" and Pastoral Landscapes
One of the specific works mentioned in connection with Michiel Carré is a painting depicting "Jacob and Esau." This biblical subject, set within a landscape, would have allowed Carré to combine his skills in figure painting (albeit on a smaller scale within the landscape) and his primary expertise in landscape and animal depiction. Such biblical or mythological scenes set in expansive landscapes were common in the Italianate tradition, with artists like Cornelis van Poelenburch or Bartholomeus Breenbergh popularizing the genre earlier in the 17th century. A version of this subject by Carré was noted by Houbraken as being in a distinguished collection in The Hague.
Beyond specific titles, the bulk of his surviving oeuvre consists of "Landscape with Shepherds and Cattle," "Pastoral Scene with Livestock," or similar descriptive titles. These works are more representative of his typical output. For instance, a "Landscape with a Shepherd, Shepherdess and their Flock" would showcase his ability to create a serene pastoral mood, with carefully arranged groups of animals and figures interacting subtly within a pleasing natural setting. Another example might be "Cattle Resting in a Meadow near Ruins," which combines his skill in animal painting with the picturesque elements of Italianate landscapes.
His works can be found in various museum collections, attesting to his historical significance. The Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in Braunschweig (Brunswick), Germany, and the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam are among the institutions that hold paintings by Michiel Carré I. Other works periodically appear on the art market, allowing for continued study and appreciation of his contribution to Dutch art.
Contemporaries and Artistic Milieu
Michiel Carré I operated in a period that saw the Dutch Golden Age transitioning. While the first half and middle of the 17th century were marked by groundbreaking innovations and a plethora of great masters like Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer, the later 17th and early 18th centuries saw a consolidation of styles and the continuation of established genres.
Carré’s Italianate landscapes were part of a persistent taste for such scenes, which offered an escape from the often-flat and more prosaic Dutch countryside. He shared this field with contemporaries who also followed Berchem or were influenced by similar Italianate ideals, such as Johannes Lingelbach, who painted Italianate harbor scenes and street views, or Frederick de Moucheron, known for his idealized landscapes.
In the realm of animal painting, he was a successor to the great animaliers of the mid-century like Paulus Potter and Aelbert Cuyp, though his style was perhaps less intensely naturalistic than Potter's or as luminously atmospheric as Cuyp's best work. Adriaen van de Velde, who died relatively young in 1672 but was highly influential, also excelled in painting animals within refined Italianate landscapes, and his work set a standard for elegance in this genre.
Compared to the "native" Dutch landscapists like Jacob van Ruisdael or Meindert Hobbema, whose works often conveyed a more dramatic or melancholic vision of the Dutch terrain, Carré’s art offered a sunnier, more idealized vision, reflecting a different aesthetic preference that remained popular with patrons.
Family Legacy in Art
The artistic tradition in the Carré family did not end with Michiel I. His son, Michiel Carré II (born c. 1689/1690, active until after 1728), also became a painter, following in his father's footsteps, though less information is readily available about his specific career and works.
Furthermore, Michiel Carré I had a daughter, Alida Carré (1686 – after 1747, possibly as late as 1750), who also pursued a career as an artist. Alida is recorded as a painter of portraits and possibly flower pieces. She married Dirk Dalens III, himself a painter, further intertwining the Carré family with the artistic fabric of the Netherlands. This continuation of artistic practice within the family underscores the environment of craft and skill transmission prevalent in that era.
Conclusion: An Enduring Pastoral Vision
Michiel Carré I stands as a competent and productive master of the late Dutch Golden Age, specializing in the enduringly popular genre of Italianate pastoral landscapes with animals. His training under his brother Hendrik Carré I and the celebrated Nicolaes Berchem provided him with a solid foundation, which he developed through a career that took him from Amsterdam to the courts of England and Prussia, before returning to the Netherlands.
While perhaps overshadowed by some of the towering figures of Dutch art, Carré’s work consistently delivered well-composed and charming scenes that appealed to the tastes of his time. His depictions of tranquil rural life, bathed in a gentle light and populated by carefully observed animals, offer a window into an idealized world that provided a pleasing contrast to the complexities of urban existence or the grandeur of courtly life. His paintings, found in museums and private collections, continue to be appreciated for their pastoral beauty and their representation of a significant, albeit later, phase of Dutch landscape painting. His legacy is also burnished by his role as a teacher and as part of an artistic dynasty that contributed to the rich tapestry of Dutch art history.
