Simon Luttichuys (1610-1661) stands as a notable, if sometimes overlooked, figure in the rich tapestry of Dutch Golden Age painting. Active during a period of unprecedented artistic flourishing in the Netherlands, Luttichuys carved out a distinct niche for himself, primarily celebrated for his exquisite still life compositions and his adept portraiture. Born in London to Dutch parents, his life and career bridged two vibrant cultural centers, though it was in Amsterdam that his artistic talents truly blossomed.
Early Life and Relocation to Amsterdam
Simon Luttichuys was born in London in 1610. His family, of Dutch extraction, was known by the anglicized name "Littlehouse," a direct translation of their Dutch surname. This connection to both England and the Netherlands would have provided a unique cultural backdrop to his formative years. He was not the only artist in his family; his younger brother, Isaac Luttichuys (1616-1673), also achieved considerable fame as a portrait painter. The brothers maintained a close relationship, and it is documented that they eventually relocated from London to Amsterdam.
Simon Luttichuys is recorded as having moved to Amsterdam by 1649, a city then at the zenith of its economic power and cultural influence. Amsterdam in the mid-17th century was a bustling metropolis, a hub of international trade, and a fertile ground for artistic innovation. The demand for art was high, with a burgeoning middle class eager to adorn their homes with paintings that reflected their status, piety, and intellectual interests. It was in this dynamic environment that Luttichuys continued to develop his artistic practice.
Artistic Style and Dominant Influences
Luttichuys's artistic style is characterized by a remarkable delicacy, a refined sensibility, and a meticulous attention to detail. His works often exude an air of quiet elegance and thoughtful composition. While he developed a personal and recognizable manner, his art also reflects an awareness of and engagement with the broader artistic currents of his time.
A significant influence on Luttichuys, particularly evident in the atmospheric qualities and the play of light and shadow in his works, was the towering figure of Rembrandt van Rijn. Rembrandt's mastery of chiaroscuro and his profound psychological insight set a benchmark for many artists of the period. While Luttichuys's temperament and subject matter differed, the subtle modulations of light and the creation of mood in his paintings suggest an absorption of Rembrandtesque principles.
His portraiture, in particular, also shows an affinity with the elegant and sophisticated style of Flemish masters such as Sir Anthony van Dyck, who had a profound impact on portrait painting across Europe, including England where Luttichuys spent his early years. The refined depiction of sitters and the attention to luxurious fabrics in some of Luttichuys's portraits echo Van Dyck's courtly aesthetic. Furthermore, the polished and detailed approach seen in the work of successful Amsterdam portraitists like Bartholomeus van der Helst likely also informed Luttichuys's approach to capturing the likenesses of the city's affluent citizens.
The Realm of Still Life: Vanitas and Pronkstilleven
Simon Luttichuys is perhaps best known for his contributions to the genre of still life painting, which enjoyed immense popularity in the Dutch Republic. He excelled in various subgenres, most notably the vanitas still life.
Vanitas: Meditations on Mortality and Meaning
The vanitas still life was a particularly poignant and prevalent theme in 17th-century Dutch art, reflecting the Calvinist preoccupation with the transience of earthly life and the inevitability of death. These paintings were intended as moral allegories, encouraging viewers to contemplate spiritual matters over worldly pleasures. Luttichuys was a skilled practitioner of this genre.
His vanitas compositions typically feature a carefully arranged assembly of symbolic objects. Skulls are a common and direct emblem of death (memento mori). Books, often open or stacked, can symbolize human knowledge, learning, and the arts, but in a vanitas context, they also allude to the futility of worldly wisdom in the face of eternity. Other recurring motifs might include hourglasses or snuffed-out candles (the passage of time), musical instruments (the fleeting nature of pleasure), and wilting flowers or decaying fruit (the ephemeral beauty of life).
A prime example is his Vanitas Still Life, circa 1645, now housed in the National Museum in Gdańsk, Poland. In such works, the skull often occupies a central position, its stark presence a powerful reminder of mortality. The juxtaposition of the skull with books, perhaps a quill pen, and other scholarly accoutrements invites a philosophical reflection on the limits of human endeavor and the ultimate fate of all worldly pursuits. These compositions are not merely morbid; they are profound visual sermons, encouraging a life of piety and virtue. The tradition of vanitas painting had deep roots, and one can see thematic parallels in earlier works like Hans Holbein the Younger's "The Ambassadors," with its anamorphic skull.
Luttichuys’s skill lay in rendering these symbolic objects with exquisite realism, making their allegorical message all the more compelling. The textures of aged paper, the smooth gleam of bone, the soft fall of light on a velvet cloth – all are rendered with a palpable sense of materiality that draws the viewer into the scene's contemplative mood.
Pronkstilleven and Breakfast Pieces
Beyond the overtly moralizing vanitas, Luttichuys also painted pronkstilleven (ostentatious still lifes) and breakfast pieces (ontbijtjes). These works, while still often carrying subtle symbolic undertones, celebrated the material abundance and prosperity of the Dutch Republic. They featured arrangements of luxurious items: gleaming silverware, imported porcelain, exotic fruits, fine glassware, and rich textiles.
His Still Life with a Silver Beaker (also known as Martwa Natura ze Srebrnym Kubkiem), located in the National Museum in Gdańsk, is a testament to his ability in this area. Such paintings showcased the artist's virtuosity in depicting a variety of textures and reflective surfaces. The play of light on a silver ewer, the translucency of a wine-filled roemer glass, the soft bloom on a peach – these were challenges that Luttichuys met with aplomb. His compositions are typically balanced and harmonious, with a sophisticated use of color and light to unify the diverse elements.
Luttichuys was part of a distinguished lineage of Dutch still life painters. His work can be seen in dialogue with that of artists like Willem Claesz. Heda and Pieter Claesz, who were masters of the monochrome breakfast piece, as well as Jan Davidsz. de Heem and Willem Kalf, known for their more opulent and colorful pronkstilleven. Luttichuys, however, brought his own unique sensibility to the genre, often imbuing his still lifes with a particular delicacy and an introspective quality. There is evidence that he also sought to "modernize" certain compositions, for instance, by substituting a traditional silver goblet with a more contemporary glass vessel, indicating an awareness of evolving tastes and a willingness to innovate within established conventions.
Portraiture: Capturing the Amsterdam Elite
While renowned for his still lifes, Simon Luttichuys was also a successful and accomplished portrait painter. In Amsterdam, a city teeming with wealthy merchants, civic leaders, and prosperous professionals, there was a strong demand for portraits that could commemorate individuals and their families, assert their social standing, and preserve their likeness for posterity.
Luttichuys's portraits are characterized by their refined execution, careful attention to detail, and often a cool, silvery tonality. He was adept at capturing not only a physical likeness but also a sense of the sitter's personality and status. His clients included affluent members of Amsterdam society, who would have appreciated his ability to render their rich attire and accessories with precision.
Examples such as his portraits of Anne van Rijckert and Susanna van Rijckert demonstrate his skill in this genre. He paid close attention to the depiction of luxurious fabrics like silk and lace, and the subtle rendering of jewelry, all of which served to signify the wealth and social position of his sitters. His approach to portraiture, while perhaps not possessing the raw psychological power of Rembrandt or the flamboyant dynamism of Frans Hals, offered an elegant and dignified representation that appealed to the tastes of his clientele. His work in this field aligns with the polished and sophisticated portraits produced by contemporaries like Bartholomeus van der Helst, who was immensely popular in Amsterdam. He also created more intimate works, such as the Portrait of a Gentleman, showcasing his ability to convey character through subtle facial expression and posture.
An interesting and somewhat unusual aspect of his oeuvre includes allegorical tapestry portraits, such as the Portrait of a Lady with a Flower. These works combined portraiture with symbolic elements, often drawing on classical or pastoral themes, to create a more complex and layered image of the sitter.
Activities in Amsterdam: Beyond the Easel
Simon Luttichuys's activities in Amsterdam were not confined solely to the creation of his own paintings. Like many artists of the period, he was likely involved in various aspects of the art world.
One documented activity is his involvement in painting restoration and improvement. He was, for example, commissioned to rework or complete a vanitas still life originally by the artist Jan Jansz. Treck. This indicates that Luttichuys was respected by his peers and patrons for his technical skill and artistic judgment, enough to be entrusted with modifying the work of another painter. Such practices were not uncommon at the time, as paintings might be altered to suit new tastes, repair damage, or enhance their composition.
His works were also sought after by collectors. The fact that he received support from the "Leiden school" (perhaps referring to patrons or artistic circles associated with Leiden, known for its fijnschilders or "fine painters" like Gerrit Dou and Frans van Mieris the Elder) suggests that his reputation extended beyond Amsterdam. The meticulous detail and refined finish of Luttichuys's work would certainly have appealed to the sensibilities associated with Leiden painters.
Relationships with Contemporary Artists
The art world of 17th-century Amsterdam was a relatively close-knit community, and artists often knew each other, collaborated, or competed. Simon Luttichuys was no exception.
His most notable documented artistic interactions involve Rembrandt van Rijn and Jan Lievens. There is evidence suggesting that Luttichuys may have participated in or collaborated on still life elements within works by Rembrandt and Lievens. These still life passages often included objects typical of vanitas compositions – skulls, books, prints, and painting implements. Rembrandt and Lievens themselves had a period of close association, sharing a studio in Leiden from approximately 1626 to 1631 before both eventually moved to Amsterdam. While the exact timing and nature of Luttichuys's involvement are not precisely known, such collaborations were a feature of workshop practices at the time, allowing artists to leverage each other's specialist skills.
His connection with the art dealer Hendrick Uylenburgh is also significant. Uylenburgh was a major figure in the Amsterdam art market, running a large workshop and dealership that employed and represented many prominent artists, including Rembrandt for a period. Having dealings with Uylenburgh would have provided Luttichuys with access to patrons and a platform for selling his work.
The aforementioned commission to restore a painting by Jan Jansz. Treck further illustrates his engagement with the artistic community. Treck himself was a notable still life painter, and this interaction underscores Luttichuys's standing among his fellow artists.
His brother, Isaac Luttichuys, was also an active painter in Amsterdam. While their specializations diverged somewhat – Simon focusing more on still life and Isaac more exclusively on portraiture – they would undoubtedly have shared artistic knowledge and connections.
Artistic Lineage and Legacy
Regarding Simon Luttichuys's direct artistic lineage, his father, Bernard Luttichuys, was a tailor, not a painter. It is highly probable that Simon received his initial artistic training from an established master, though the identity of this teacher is not definitively recorded. His elder brother Isaac's presence and own artistic pursuits would certainly have created a supportive and artistically inclined family environment.
There is no clear record of Simon Luttichuys having formally registered pupils. However, his work would have been visible in Amsterdam and beyond, contributing to the rich visual culture of the Dutch Golden Age. The quality and distinct character of his paintings, particularly his refined still lifes, would have been noted by other artists and connoisseurs. His ability to imbue still life paintings with such delicate precision and thoughtful symbolism ensured his place among the accomplished masters of the genre. Artists like Rachel Ruysch and Clara Peeters, though specializing in flower painting and earlier breakfast pieces respectively, were part of this broader tradition of Dutch still life excellence to which Luttichuys contributed.
Simon Luttichuys passed away in Amsterdam in 1661, at the age of 50 or 51. He left behind a body of work that continues to be appreciated for its technical skill, aesthetic appeal, and intellectual depth. His paintings offer a window into the cultural preoccupations of the Dutch Golden Age – its prosperity, its piety, and its profound engagement with the visual arts.
Conclusion: An Enduring Contribution
Simon Luttichuys was a versatile and highly skilled artist who made significant contributions to both still life and portrait painting during the Dutch Golden Age. His vanitas still lifes are particularly noteworthy for their elegant execution and their poignant exploration of universal themes of life, death, and the pursuit of meaning. His portraits capture the likeness and status of Amsterdam's citizenry with a refined and dignified sensibility.
Though perhaps not as widely known today as some of his contemporaries like Rembrandt, Hals, or Johannes Vermeer, Simon Luttichuys was a respected artist in his own time, connected to key figures and trends in the vibrant Amsterdam art scene. His meticulous technique, his sophisticated compositions, and the quiet beauty of his paintings ensure his enduring importance in the history of Dutch art. His works continue to be admired in museums and collections worldwide, a testament to his lasting artistic achievement.
