The Feast of Bacchus (Dutch: Bacchusfeest) is an oil-on-canvas painting that was completed in 1654 by the Dutch painter Philips Koninck. The painting is on display at the Museum Bredius in The Hague.[1][2] Once thought to be an allegory of the five senses, it may depict a festival held by the Amsterdam Guild of Saint Luke, a celebration of the Bentvueghels, or a meeting of the Chamber of Rhetoric.
| The Feast of Bacchus | |
|---|---|
| Dutch: Bacchusfeest | |
 | |
| Artist | Philips Koninck |
| Year | 1654 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 71 cm × 63 cm (28 in × 25 in) |
| Location | Museum Bredius, The Hague |
History
editThe painting is by the mid-17th-century Dutch painter, Philips Koninck, who worked in Amsterdam and is known for his landscapes and portraits. He may have been a student of Rembrandt.[3] Koninck signed and dated the painting "P. Koning: 1654". It was painted for Jacob Faes (1621–1661), a wealthy Amsterdam merchant.[4] The Dutch poet Joost van den Vondel wrote a short poem, "On the Triumph of Bacchus, for Jacob Faes by Philips Koninck", about it in 1654.[5] The painting was sold at auction in 1783.[4][6] It was later acquired by the art collector Abraham Bredius, who gave it to the Museum Bredius in 1925.[4]
Description
editHighlighted in the center of the painting is a burly, shirtless man sitting on a wine barrel. He is holding a glass high in the air and is adorned with grape vines, an allusion to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. There are thirteen people surrounding him. On the right, a person is playing music, while another wears a high hat and stands next to a donkey.[7] Another has a Dutch white clay tobacco pipe in his high hat. The painting shows them celebrating, as if at a Bacchanalia.[8]
It has been thought to represent the five senses. In the 1928 Museum Bredius catalog by F. Julius Oppenheim, it was listed as Honor to Bacchus: An Allegory of the Five Senses.[9] However, art historian Horst Gerson wrote that the painting more likely depicted an Amsterdam Guild of Saint Luke festival.[10] He noted that Koninck attended the festival on October 21, 1654.[11] Gerson also described the painting as resembling the work of the Dutch artist Jan Steen and even Hieronymus Bosch.[12] Art historian Willem R. Juynboll thought that the painting possibly depicted a celebration of the Bentvueghels, a society of Dutch and Flemish artists living in Rome.[4][13] It may also depict a Chamber of Rhetoric meeting, similar to several paintings by Steen or one attributed to Hendrik Gerritsz Pot, which showed a dispute among the "poets of Bacchus".[14]
Legacy
edit
The painting went viral after the NFL Divisional playoff game played between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills on January 21, 2024.[15][16] The National Football League contacted LJ Rader of ArtButMakeItSports to see if a photo of Jason Kelce celebrating a touchdown by his brother Travis Kelce could be paired with an appropriate art work.[15][17] Rader posted a photo by Kathryn Riley with a cropped mirrored version of the painting, a pairing of shirtless celebrations.[15][18][19] It has been viewed over 8 million times.[19]
See also
edit- 1654 in art
- Feast of the Gods – art subject
- The Triumph of Bacchus – by the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez in 1629
References
edit- ^ "Koninck, Philips, Bacchusfeest" [The Feast of Bacchus] (in Dutch). The Hague: Museum Bredius.
- ^ "Philips Koninck: Bacchusfeest, 1654 (dated)". Netherlands Institute for Art History, RKD.
- ^ Blankert (1978), p. 74.
- ^ a b c d Blankert (1978), p. 75.
- ^ Lust tot poëzie: Op De triomf van Bacchus, geschilderd voor de heer Jacob Faes door Philips Koninck (in Dutch). Digital Library for Dutch Literature, DBNL. 1989.
- ^ Gerson (1980), p. 118.
- ^ Gerson (1980), pp. 50–51.
- ^ "The Feast of Bacchus, 1654". Media Storehouse.
Set in the countryside, this Dutch masterpiece captures the essence of a bacchanalian celebration with its depiction of peasants reveling in their merriment.
- ^ "Honor to Bacchus: An Allegory of the Five Senses". Frick Collection. 1928.
- ^ Gerson (1980), p. 51, footnote 104.
- ^ Gerson (1980), p. 86.
- ^ Gerson (1980), p. 51.
- ^ Juynboll, W. R. (1934). Het komische genre in de Italiaansche schilderkunst gedurende de zeventiende en achttiende eeuw (in Dutch). Leiden: Leidsche Uitgeversmaatschappij. p. 167.
- ^ Heppner, Albert (October 1939). "The Popular Theatre of the Rederijkers in the Work of Jan Steen and His Contemporaries". Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes. 3 (1). London: Warburg Institute: 22–48. doi:10.2307/750189. JSTOR 750189.
- ^ a b c Cacciola, Scott (January 26, 2024). "You Saw Jason Kelce. This Guy Saw The Feast of Bacchus.". The New York Times.
When searching for the perfect painting to pair up with a viral image of Jason Kelce, LJ Rader knew the subject would have to be shirtless. "The Feast of Bacchus" by Philips Koninck met the criterion.
- ^ Edholm, Eric (January 21, 2024). "NFL playoffs: What We Learned from Chiefs' win over Bills in AFC Divisional Round". National Football League.
- ^ NFL [@NFL] (January 21, 2024). "what say you, @ArtButSports?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ kathryn riley [@k__h__r] (January 21, 2024). "now I've truly peaked" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b ArtButMakeItSports [@ArtButSports] (January 21, 2024). "The Feast Of Bacchus, by Phillips de Koninck, 1654" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
Bibliography
edit- Blankert, Albert (1978). Museum Bredius: Catalogus van de schilderijen en tekeningen [Catalog of paintings and drawings] (in Dutch). The Hague: Museum Bredius.
- Gerson, Horst (1980) [1st ed. 1936]. Philips Koninck: ein Beitrag zur Erforschung der holländischen Malerei des XVII. Jahrhunderts (in German) (2nd ed.). Berlin: Gebr. Mann. ISBN 978-3-7861-1284-6.
External links
edit
- Luijten, Hans; Konst, Jan (1989). "Op De triomf van Bacchus, geschilderd voor de heer Jacob Faes door Philips Koninck" (PDF). Lust tot poezie: Joost van den Vondel (PDF) (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Querido. pp. 54–55.
- Knuttel Wzn, G. (1925). Nieuwe aanwinsten van het Bredius Museum (in Dutch). pp. 218–222.
- Murphy, Bryan (January 22, 2024). "Jason Kelce shirtless celebration: Learn more about 'Art But Make It Sports' X account behind viral tweet". The Sporting News.