Jürgen Ovens
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| Jürgen Ovens | |
 Jürgen Ovens, Detail (Hermitage) |
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| Born | 1623 Tönning |
| Died | 9 December 1678 Friedrichstadt |
| Nationality | German |
| Field | Painting |
| Training | Under Rembrandt |
| Movement | Baroque |
| Works | "Blue Madonna" in Schleswig Cathedral |
| Influenced by | Rembrandt, Van Dyck |
Jürgen Ovens (1623 in Tönning - 9 December 1678 in Friedrichstadt), also known as Georg, or Jurriaen Ovens whilst in the Netherlands, was a portrait painter from North Friesland (then in Denmark, now in Germany) and only according to Arnold Houbraken a pupil of Rembrandt. He is best known for his painting in the Town Hall of Amsterdam and paintings for the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp for whom he worked for more than 30 years, also as an art-dealer.
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[edit] Life
Jürgen Ovens was the son of the farmer and alderman Ove Broders and Agneta Ovens (also called Broders). He grew up in in Tönning, then a Danish city on the border, now in Germany. Since 1640 he was working for Hendrick van Uylenburgh with Govaert Flinck in the Sint Antoniesbreestraat. May be he went to Italy between 1643 and 1649. Until 1651, he lived in Amsterdam, then from May 1651 he went back to Schleswig-Holstein, claimed by Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. In 1652 he married to Maria Jens Martens (daughter of a rich Tönning alderman) in Friedrichstadt. His father-in-law gave him 60.000 Thaler, but demanded to settle down nearby.
In 1654 Ovens spent a few weeks in Stockholm to paint the marriage between Charles X Gustav and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. In 1657 Ovens travelled to Amsterdam because of a war between the Swedish and the Danish. He cooperated with Flinck. Ovens became a citizinship of Amsterdam, in order to get a job, because the rules of guilds were very strict. Ovens was appreciated for his portraits and painted Nicolaes Tulp twice, his daughter Margaretha Tulp, her brother Dirk and his wife Anna Burgh. (These paintings can be seen in the Six-foundation). He also painted a portrait of the father of Godert de Ginkell, 1st Earl of Athlone, Comenius, Maarten Tromp, Charles II of England, Adam Olearius, three times Christina of Sweden, Lucia Wijbrants and twice Josepho Francisco Borri, an eye doctor, charlatan and alchemist.
Ovens was living in a house in the Jordaan with a large studio under the roof. The cellar he rented out as a public house, just like Flinck did, who used to own it and died the year before. Gerrit van Uylenburgh bought the house next door, also owned by Flinck. Johannes Lingelbach was a friend and a witness when his children were baptized in the Lutheran church. In 1661 Ovens was asked to finish a painting begun by Flinck. The painting had to be placed in the townhall, within a few days, when Rembrandt's painting The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis was rejected. Ovens got paid very little compared to the others, 48 guilders, but still a good salary in those days.
Ovens returned to Friedrichstadt at the instruction of Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, as one of the richest inhabitants. From 1674 to 1675, he lived again in Holland and painted Michiel de Ruyter and Joan Huydecoper van Maarsseveen. After returning to Holstein he painted the altarpiece of St. Christopher's in Friedrichstadt, painting himself in its top right section. His grave is also in the church.
[edit] Works
Jürgen Ovens' best-known work is the "Blue Madonna" in Schleswig Cathedral. A self-portrait may be seen in the Laurentius-Kirche in Tönning. Further works by Jürgen Ovens can be found in the collections of the Schleswig-Holsteinischen Landesmuseums at the Schloss Gottorf. He made 45 paintings for the Amalienburg in Gottorf. The Earl of Arundel owned seventeen paintings by Ovens; the collection was sold in 1684. According to Schmidt there is nothing German in his paintings and he belongs to the Dutch School.
[edit] Bibliography
- Dudok van Heel, S.A.C. (1982) HET ‘SCHILDERHUIS’ VAN GOVERT FLINCK EN DE KUNSTHANDEL VAN UYLENBURGH AAN DE LAURIERGRACHT TE AMSTERDAM. In: Amstelodamum Jrb 74, pp. 77-8.
- Ulrich Schulte-Wülwer: Malerei in Schleswig-Holstein, Katalog der Gemäldesammlung des Städtischen Museums Flensburg, Heide 1989.
- Schmidt, H. (1922) Jürgen Ovens, Sein Leben und Seine Werke. Kiel.
