Democritus (c.460-370 BC): the 'Laughing Philosopher'
Paulus Moreelse (Utrecht 1571 - Utrecht 1638)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1600 - 1638
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
480 x 300 mm
Place of origin
Utrecht
Order this imageCollection
Knole, Kent
NT 129861
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Democritus (c.460-370 BC): the 'Laughing Philosopher' by Paulus Moreelse (Utrecht 1571 - Utrecht 1638) or attributed to Johan Moreelse (b. before 1594 -1634) signed with monogram, PM. A head-and-shoulders view of a laughing man, turned slightly to the left leaning over a globe and wearing a grey robe draped over his left shoulder. A pair with NT 129860. Another version or replica is in the Mauritshuis, The Hague and has long been attributed to Johan Moreelse, the brother, or more probably the son of of Paulus, whose monogram is slightly different. The Knole picture had also been re-attributed to Johan by, amongst others, Benedict Nicolson (1914 - 1977), the Caravaggesque expert and editor of The Burlington Magazine, as well as being the son of Vita Sackville-West, but the 6th Lord Sackville (1913 - 2004), uncle of the present owner, or his agent, was not happy changing it, despite compelling evidence.
Provenance
On loan from the Trustees of the Sackville Estate
Credit line
Knole, The Sackville Collection
Makers and roles
Paulus Moreelse (Utrecht 1571 - Utrecht 1638), publisher attributed to Johan Moreelse (b. before 1594 -1634), publisher
References
Freemantle 1974 Katherine Freemantle, The identity of Johan Moreelse, painter, The Burlington Magazine, 116, 1974, pp. 619-620 Jonge 1938 C.H. de Jonge, Paulus Moreelse, 1938, no. 3 Blankert 1967 A. Blankert, Heraclitus en Democritus, Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek, XVIII, 1967, p. 31, no. 33 Nicolson 1974 Benedict Nicolson, Additions to Johan Moreelse, The Burlington Magazine, 116, 1974, p. 620-623, fig 88