Man Under the Tree
ARTIST: Nicolaes Berchem the Elder (Dutch, 1620 – 1683)
DATE: c. 1650
TECHNIQUE: Etching
DIMENSIONS: Platemark: 11 x 10 cm, Paper Size: 15 x 14.2 cm
STATE: VI/VII
INSCRIPTION: Number “1” in lower left and right corners, letter “b” in upper right, “Animalia ad vivum delineate, et aqui forti aeri impressa, Studio et arte Nicolas Berchemi” bottom center.
TRANSLATION: “Animals drawn from life, etched into copper and printed (in) Nicolaes Berchem’s art studio.”
CATALOGUE REFERENCE: Hollstein Dutch 49, Bartsch 49
CREDIT LINE: Gift of Nancy Cushman Baldwin in 1979
OBJECT NUMBER: 2012.046
Three Goats Under a Tree
ARTIST: Nicolaes Berchem the Elder (Dutch, 1620 – 1683)
DATE: c. 1650
TECHNIQUE: Etching
DIMENSIONS: Platemark: 11 x 10 cm, Paper Size: 15 x 14.2 cm
STATE: VI/VII
SIGNATURE: “Berrighem f.”
INSCRIPTION: Number “2” in lower left and right corners, letter “b” in upper right
CATALOGUE REFERENCE: Hollstein Dutch 50, Bartsch 50
CREDIT LINE: Gift of Nancy Cushman Baldwin in 1979
OBJECT NUMBER: 2012.047
Ram and Sheep
ARTIST: Nicolaes Berchem the Elder (Dutch, 1620 – 1683)
DATE: c. 1650
TECHNIQUE: Etching
DIMENSIONS: Platemark: 11 x 10 cm, Paper Size: 15 x 14.2 cm
STATE: VI/VII
INSCRIPTION: Number “3” in lower left and right corners, letter “b” in upper right
CATALOGUE REFERENCE: Hollstein Dutch 50, Bartsch 50
CREDIT LINE: Gift of Nancy Cushman Baldwin in 1979
OBJECT NUMBER: 2012.048
Ram and Goat
ARTIST: Nicolaes Berchem the Elder (Dutch, 1620 – 1683)
DATE: c. 1650
TECHNIQUE: Etching
DIMENSIONS: Platemark: 11 x 10 cm, Paper Size: 15 x 14.2 cm
STATE: VI/VII
INSCRIPTION: Number “8” in lower left and right corners, letter “b” in upper right
CATALOGUE REFERENCE: Hollstein Dutch 51, Bartsch 51
CREDIT LINE: Gift of Nancy Cushman Baldwin in 1979
OBJECT NUMBER: 2012.049
Three Hunting Dogs
ARTIST: Nicolaes Berchem the Elder (Dutch, 1620 – 1683)
DATE: c. 1650
TECHNIQUE: Etching
DIMENSIONS: Platemark: 11 x 10 cm, Paper Size: 15 x 14.2 cm
STATE: VI/VII
WATERMARK: Partial, circular, unidentified
SIGNATURE: “Berrighem f.”
INSCRIPTION: Number “4” in lower left and right corners, letter “b” in upper right
CATALOGUE REFERENCE: Hollstein Dutch 52, Bartsch 52
CREDIT LINE: Gift of Nancy Cushman Baldwin in 1979
OBJECT NUMBER: 2012.050
A shepherd lounges on his pack, draping one leg over the ledge which announces the title of Nicolaes Berchem’s Animalia series. Including this title page, Middlebury’s collection contains five out of the eight total prints. Each one features almost exclusively animal subjects resting in loosely etched landscapes of rocks, grass, and undergrowth. Berchem emphasizes the sheep, goats, and hunting dogs over the pastoral countryside, which simply provides the ground beneath their hooves and paws.
By portraying his animals from multiple angles, Berchem creates a dynamic and engaging image, as can be seen in Three Hunting Dogs. Although the dogs appear nearly identical in appearance and are likely the same breed, the variety in their postures draws the viewer’s eye not only to the composition as a whole, but to each dog individually. Berchem’s curved lines imitate the texture of animal hair while his crosshatching contours their forms. He purposefully leaves portions of the plate unmarked to create the illusion of warm sunlight. Although animals were not uncommon subjects in 17th century Dutch art, the realistic nature of Berchem’s figures sets his prints apart. The Animalia series was not only coveted by art collectors, but also by artists who used Berchem’s animals as models for their own artworks.
Berchem probably began his career under the tutelage of his father, the still-life painter Pieter Claesz (c. 1597–1660), but also studied with other leading landscapists in Haarlem, namely Jan van Goyen (1596–1656) and Jacob van Ruisdael (c. 1629–1682). Out of Berchem’s oeuvre of 500 paintings and 80 etchings, the majority is Italianate in style, although Berchem is not known to have traveled to Italy.
The prints in Middlebury’s collection appear to be later impressions of the sixth state, since some of the finer details in the landscape and the animal hairs are either faint or entirely missing. Furthermore, the text which probably recorded the publisher’s information has been burnished off in the lower right-hand corner of the title page.
Written by Brigett Weinstein, edited by Simone Edgar Holmes
Bibliography
Hollstein, F.W.H.GermanEngravings, Etchings, and Woodcuts, ca. 1400-1700. Amsterdam: M. Hertzberger, 1954.
Stocker, Mark. “Animalia (Animals): Ram and sheep.” Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. April 2019. https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/42703.
Wuestmen, Gerdien. “Berchem as an etcher: Effortless, accomplished and peerless.” In Nicolaes Berchem: In the Light of Italy. Edited by Karel Schampers. Haarlem: Ludion, 2006.
