A Monk reading
Oil Painting
1850s (painted)
1850s (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Alfred van Muyden (1818-1898) was born in Lausanne. He became the pupil of Wilhelm von Kaulbach at the Fine Arts Academy in Munich in 1838. He continued his studies in Rome and later settled in Geneva before going back to Rome for six years. He came back definitively to Geneva in 1856. He married the sister of the painter Etienne Duval, who was also the grand-daughter of Wolgang-Adam Töpffer. Their three sons, Albert-Steven, Evert and Henri also became painters.
This painting is a fine example of Muyden’s genre scenes almost entirely taken from scenes of daily life in Rome. The humble life of the Capuchin monks, who followed St Francis in their ministry to the common people, was of a particular interest to him. By comparison with similar works, the painting may be dated in the 1850s. This type of pictures was particularly popular in the second half of the 19th century.
This painting is a fine example of Muyden’s genre scenes almost entirely taken from scenes of daily life in Rome. The humble life of the Capuchin monks, who followed St Francis in their ministry to the common people, was of a particular interest to him. By comparison with similar works, the painting may be dated in the 1850s. This type of pictures was particularly popular in the second half of the 19th century.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | A Monk reading |
| Materials and techniques | Oil on canvas |
| Brief description | Oil painting, 'A Monk Reading', Alfred van Muyden, Swiss school, 1850s |
| Physical description | A monk seated in a chair next to a desk, reading a letter. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'A. van Muyden' (Signed by the artist, lower right) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Rev. Chauncey Hare Townshend |
| Object history | Rev. Chauncey Hare Townshend, listed in the 1868 post-mortem register of the contents of his villa in Lausanne (V&A R/F MA/1/T1181) as 'Oil on Canvas. A monk. By F. A. Van Muyden. In frame. Swiss. Present century'; bequeathed by Rev. Chauncey Hare Townshend, 1868. Historical significance: Muyden was mostly a portrait and genre painter. The representation of the daily life of the Capuchin monks constitutes a significant part of his oeuvre. Two paintings, Monks Playing Balls (1852) and Capuchins Playing Chess (1859), both whereabouts unknown, are particularly close to the present work while a drawing, Study for a Capuchin Monk Holding an UmbrellaThe high degree of finish combined with rustic subject is typical of the generation of Swiss painters of the second half of the 19th century, who were to some extent still under the influence of the Biedermeier imagery. This painting was bequeathed by the Rev. Townshend who owned a large collection of 19th-century landscape paintings. It is not unlikely that Townshend, who resided part of the year in Lausanne, acquired this painting directly from the artist. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Alfred van Muyden (1818-1898) was born in Lausanne. He became the pupil of Wilhelm von Kaulbach at the Fine Arts Academy in Munich in 1838. He continued his studies in Rome and later settled in Geneva before going back to Rome for six years. He came back definitively to Geneva in 1856. He married the sister of the painter Etienne Duval, who was also the grand-daughter of Wolgang-Adam Töpffer. Their three sons, Albert-Steven, Evert and Henri also became painters. This painting is a fine example of Muyden’s genre scenes almost entirely taken from scenes of daily life in Rome. The humble life of the Capuchin monks, who followed St Francis in their ministry to the common people, was of a particular interest to him. By comparison with similar works, the painting may be dated in the 1850s. This type of pictures was particularly popular in the second half of the 19th century. |
| Bibliographic reference | Kauffmann, C.M. Catalogue of Foreign Paintings, II. 1800-1900 , London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1973, p. 79, cat. no. 172. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1618-1869 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | May 18, 2006 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
