Portraits of Constantijn Huygens (1596-1687).

To Christiaan Huygens 'under construction'
Started Apr 19, 2008
Last Update June 20, 2008
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Portraits of Constantijn Huygens (1596-1687).
As a companion site to the Portraits of Christiaan Huygens the same approach will followed. The first thing that strikes one when looking at the portraits of Constantijn Huygens is the shear number of them. One other thing to remember, is that one of the most distinguishing features of Constantijn Huygens is absent in his portraits: i.e. the fact that he had to wear glasses.

Portraits made during Constantijn's life time.
The number of portraits enables us to make distinctions based upon changes in clothing and hair style.

Collar types
1622-1632 stiff circular collars are worn,
1635-1647 lace collars with elaborate fringes (aka Van Dyck collars) appear
Notice that e.g. in the paintings that Rembrandt made in 1632 of Maurits Huygens and Jacques de Gheijn, Huygens wears a lace collar with fringes while De Gheijn still wears the classic model. Also in The Anatomical lesson of dr Tulp that was painted that same year an assortment of different collars is onm display. A portrait by Thomas de Keyzer made in 1632 also shows a lace collar with elaborate fringes.

1647- these fringes disappear and are replaced by decorative tassels under the collar. Gradually the front of the collar increases in size (or so it seems).

Hear / Head gear
1622-1625 Huygens has his hair combed back,
1625-1630 keeps his hair hidden under a hat
1631-1635 his hair reappears much thinner showing his forehead until in
1635-1687 Huygens has his hair combed forward.

1639-1687 Huygens starts wearing a skull cap in until the end of his life.

1622 self portrait (9 * 6.3 cm., silverpoint on parchement). Present location unknown.
Constanter
Londini, Junis
1622. On the back it contains the following lines:
Nemo Dissimilem proprio conamine vultum
Increper, heu! paucis adeo, quo aequus amavit
Juppiter, innotuisse ferunt GNWQI SEAUTWN
Constanter
S.

1625 (14 * 11.5 cm.) Michael Jzn. Mierevelt (1567-1641) / engraving W. van Delff (1580-1638).
The Aº Diii MDCXXV is inconsistent with the Aetat. XXVII suggesting that the original was painted around 1623. A smaller version (10 * 8 cm.) appeared in the first edition of the Otiorum libri XI published in 1625 by Arnold Meurs.

1626/7 (99 * 84 cm., oil on wood) Jan Lievens (1607-1674), Collection Musée de la Chartreuse, Douai on a long term loan to the Rijkmuseum, Amsterdam (signature: SK-C-1467).
Discovered in 1935. On April 5, 1632 Huygens writes the following poem:
IN EFFIGIEM MEAM, MANU I. LIVII
Picturae nec lingua deest, ne fallere, nec vox;
Hugenii facies haec meditantis erat.
Si quaeras animam, spirantem quisque videbis,
Qui attuleris qualem Livius intuitum.

Note that this is within a month after he made three poems on the engraving by Pontius of the portrait by van Dijck.

1627 (92.4 * 69.3 cm., oil on wood) Thomas de Keyzer (1596/7-1667), The National Gallery, London.

1632/1645 (24.5 * 17.1 cm., engraving) painting A van Dijck (1599-1541, Ant. van dyck pinxit) / engraving by Paulus Pontius (1603-1658, Paul. Ponsius Sculp.).
The engraving is part of collection of portraits that was first issued in 1645 under the title Iconographia. The portraits however were of a much earlier date. On January 28, 1632 Huygens notes: 'Pingor a Van Dyckio, cum arbor in aedes lapsus esset'.
On March 11, 1632 Huygens wrote three poems:

IN LIBROS ICONUM ILLUSTRIUM VIRORUM ANTON: DYCKII
Vivitur ingenio: servat cum vertice dextras
Dyckius, et, sunto caetera mortis, ait.

IN MEAM IBIDEM EFFIGIEM
Hugenium illustres inter mirare? necesse
His umbris lucem quae daret umbra fuit.

IN IPSIUS DYCKII EFFIGIEM
Os aliquis frontem atque oculos imitarier aude
Dycki, nemo manum non imitabilem.

1632/1664 (10.0 * 9.2 cm., engraving (trimmed)) painting A van Dijck (1599-1541, A van Dyck pinxit.) / engraving by Richard Gaywood (1603-1658, R. Gaywood fecit 1664.). British Museum London

1635 (98 * 82 cm., oil on canvas) by Jacob van Campen (1595-1657). Mauritshuis, The Hague.

1639 (23.8 * 17.4 cm., Black chalk on paper) by Jan Lievens (1607-1674, IL). British Museum, London.

1639 (26 * 19 cm., engraving) drawing by Jan Lievens (1607-1674, Ioannes Livius delin.) / engraving by Lucas Vorsterman (1595?-1675?, Lucas Vorstermans sculpsit).
Nicolaes Heinsius wrote a four line poem:

Hic ille Auriacis Hugenius inclytus actis
Effigies patriae primaque fama suae
Omnibus hunc terris ostende batavia vultu**?
Qui toto vultus monstrat in orbe tuos

Nic: Heinsius, D. F.

1639/40, (206 * 174.5 cm, oil on canvas) of Constantijn Huygens and his children by Adriaen Hanneman (1604-1671). Mauritshuis, The Hague.
Formerly the boy on left of Constantijn sr was 'recognized' as Christiaan. However the place on the right of a father, which to the viewer is the left side, was traditionally reserved for the eldest son i.e. Constantijn jr.. This meant that the son on his left (his right side to the viewer) had to be Christiaan. The empty medallion at the bottom contains the text
ECCE
HÆREDITAS
DOMINI.

1641 (72 * 57 cm., oil on canvas) Michael Jzn. Mierevelt (1567-1641). Museum Hofwijck, Voorburg.