IN THE HUSHED ATMOSPHERE OF A CABINET OF CURIOSITIES
In the subdued atmosphere of a cabinet of curiosities, Christian Luyckx offers the curious eye symbols to interpret, unveiling a composition that is revealed to the enlightened amateur.
In the foreground, an open book featuring the engraving of Laura Dianti by Titian invokes Painting and thereby, a form of intellectual and spiritual elevation. Seemingly casually highlighted, several meticulously colored shells with sharp tips occupy the rest of the lower space. Their presence, their precious, exotic, and costly nature, these mirabilia appear as ostentatious signs of the collector's pursuit of erudition. This desire to illustrate a pressing quest for knowledge reaches its climax with the monumental presence of the globe. On its surface, constellations in their zoo-anthropomorphic forms follow one another according to their celestial position, among which stands out the portrait of Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), a notable astronomer of the previous century.
An eminently recognized figure by his peers or any individual aspiring to enrich their mind through scientific discoveries, Brahe is the discoverer of a new star in Cassiopeia, the first to discover a supernova since Aristotle nearly 1,500 years before. A particularly colorful character, he augmented the aura of his persona as early as his twenties, when, engaged in a duel with his cousin, he lost part of his nose, a wound he concealed all his life with a brass prosthesis. Made famous by his discovery, the astronomer was courted by all of Europe, including princes who were the first enlightened amateurs. His sovereign, Frederick II (1534-1588), provided him with an observatory near Copenhagen, for which the astronomer spared no expense. He established a catalogue of stars and theorized a universe at the intersection of the theories of Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) and Galileo (1564-1642). He thus considered that the Sun orbits the Earth, while the other planets orbit the star. This theory, helio-geocentrism, was particularly pleasing to the Jesuits who found in it an opportunity to perpetuate the dogma of our planet's immobility. While several of his theories were quickly proven inaccurate, they paved the way for major lines of thought for the subsequent development of knowledge about the universe. As a tribute to one who was one of the greatest astronomers, astrologers, and also alchemists of his time, Brahe's presence attests, for the owner of the painting, their approach towards increasing their knowledge and studying the most recent scientific theories.
Born in Antwerp in the second quarter of the 17th century, Christian (or Carstian) Luyckx was a prolific painter of animals and still lifes, whose talent was recognized well beyond his native borders. In the years 1639-1640, he was a student of Philippe de Marlier (c. 1600-1668), a Flemish flower painter who had spent a few years in Portugal. He then joined the workshop of Frans Francken III (1607-1667), where he expanded his range of motifs. In 1644, he is documented in Lyon before returning to Antwerp where, in 1645, he joined the Guild of Saint Luke, granting him the right to work as an independent master. He occasionally collaborated with the painter Nicolaes van Verendael (1640-1691). Some archival documents suggest that he may have been in the service of the King of Spain for a time. While his presence elsewhere in Flanders is no longer attested from 1653, some of his later works signed in French seem to indicate that he may have worked further south in the latter part of his life. It is ultimately difficult to establish a true chronology of his career, as only two works within his known corpus are dated.
Christiaan LUYCKX
Antwerp,1623 - 1657
Vanity with globe, open book, shells, salamander, and butterflies
Oil on canvas 95 x 92 cm
Contact
Grégoire Lacroix
lacroix@aguttes.com
+33 1 47 45 08 19