Description:
bust portrait of man facing slightly to his left; set in oval frame, with text around the frame; box of handwritten text below
Label Text:
The Americas and its indigenous inhabitants fascinated Europeans during the seventeenth century. One source of captivation and much debate was a plant, unknown to Europe before Columbus’ travels—tobacco. The sitter of this portrait, identified in the oval that frames him as Johannes Neander of Bremen, Doctor and Philosopher, was the author of an important treatise on tobacco. In 1622 he published Tobacologia which identified an entire science of tobacco and recommended its use against all illnesses of the human body. Some people resisted and spoke out against the use of tobacco but written works like Neander’s treatise combined with the plant’s addictive properties ensured its successful adoption in European culture. Tobacco became so widespread in the Netherlands that it became the subject of an entire sub genre of still life paintings known as tabakjes, (tobacco pieces).
This etching is a replica of a painting by the prominent artist David Bailly. Delff’s excellent technique produced portrait prints that are among the best of their kind in Holland. Bailly’s name appears under the portrait along with Delff’s followed by the Latin for their respective contributions. The lengthy inscription below describes Neander’s great contributions to the knowledge of the plant. The inscription is signed by P.S., most likely Peter Scriverius, a Dutch historian whose portrait also appears in this exhibition.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1916.21.1 |
