(Utrecht 1592–1656)
The Liberation of Saint Peter,
oil on canvas, 130.5 x 177 cm, framed

Provenance:
art market, Portugal;
Private European collection

We are grateful to Paul Huys Janssen for confirming the attribution after the examination in the original and for his help in cataloguing the present painting.

Gerrit van Honthorst has been one of the most successful painters from the Dutch Golden Age. Born in Utrecht in 1592 he was first apprenticed to his father Herman van Honthorst, also a painter, and in 1611 he became one of the founding members of the Guild of St. Luke. So was Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651) who became Gerrit’s first official teacher.

As was usual in those days the young artist travelled to Italy to study the illustrious art of the past and present: classical architecture and sculpture, painting from the Renaissance and contemporary works of art that were eagerly collected throughout Italy, foremost in Rome. Honthorst stayed there from circa 1613 until 1620 and soon became a well-sought-after painter of history painting and genre pieces. He specialised in the depiction of an artificial source of illumination, for example a candlestick or fireplace, to create a nocturnal atmosphere in his paintings. For this reason, he was given the nickname of Gerard delle Notti by his Italian contemporaries. He was profoundly influenced by the art of Caravaggio who at that time was the most popular artist in Rome, notably his fame catapulted to unimaginable heights after his premature death in 1610.

Whilst in Rome, Honthorst received commissions from Cardinal Scipione Borghese, Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani as well as from Cosimo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, among others. During these Roman years he also painted several monumental altarpieces: for the Santa Maria della Vittoria and the Santa Maria della Scala, both in Rome, and for the Church of Capuchins in Albano.

Following his success in Italy Honthorst returned to Utrecht where his career flourished and his reputation was acknowledged by a visit from Peter Paul Rubens in 1627. In Holland, where Protestantism had become the official religion, the church no longer played a significant role of patronage and Honthorst’s role was initially limited to portraiture, history and genre painting bought by the increasingly wealthy Dutch merchants. However, as one of the leading painters in Europe, he soon received important commissions from patrons such as King Charles I of England, King Christian IV of Denmark, Stadholder Frederik Hendrik of Holland and King Friedrich V of Bohemia and his family. To be closer to his aristocratic clients Honthorst moved to The Hague where he became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke in 1637 and at the same time he continued to keep his studio in Utrecht, led by his brother Willem van Honthorst, who was also a painter.

The composition of the present painting of the Liberation of Saint Peter is best known by a similar version that once belonged to Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani in Rome. It is mentioned in the inventory of his collection in 1638. In 1812 it was auctioned in Paris and, in 1815, it entered the Royal Museum in Berlin where it still remains. It is not signed nor dated but is assumed that it was painted in circa 1616-1618, however, opinions differ.

The Giustinani painting is certainly one of the most significant Gerrit van Honthorst made during his sojourn in Rome and therefore it is not surprising that it was copied many times and 13 examples are known. The present painting is not mentioned in earlier literature. Both this and the Giustiniani painting are very similar to each other. The dimensions of the latter are 129 x 179 cm, whereas the present painting measures 130.5 x 177 cm. Both are on canvas and the painterly style is clearly similar. The present painting should be considered a replica.