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Deodat del Monte

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Deodat del Monte
Born1582,Sint-Truiden
Died(1644-11-24)24 November 1644,Antwerp
Known forPainting,Architecture,Astronomy

Deodat del Monte,Deodat van der MontorDeodatus Delmont[1](baptized 24 September 1582, inSint-Truiden– 24 November 1644, inAntwerp) was aBaroquepainter,architect,engineer,astronomer,andart dealerwho was part of the inner circle ofPeter Paul Rubens.

Life

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Deodat van der Mont was born on or shortly before 24 September 1582 (the date of his baptism) in Sint-Truiden. His parents were Ghuilliam van der Mont, a goldsmith, and Margriet Pruynen. His family was influential locally but was not a part of the aristocracy as has been assumed by some sources. His father moved to Antwerp in 1590 after he was forced to leave Sint-Truiden in thePrince-Bishopric of Liègedue to accusations of money forgery.[2]

Adoration of the Magi

Del Monte's life is closely connected toRubens.According to contemporary witnesses, del Monte and Rubens were best friends from an early age.[3]Del Monte would also have been his earliest pupil, at least in the area of painting. It is believed that he became a pupil of Rubens between 1598 (the year in which Rubens became a master) and 1600. He possibly studied under another master before becoming Rubens' pupil.[2]

Del Monte travelled with Rubens to Italy in 1600, according to some sources in Rubens' service while others state that they travelled as best friends.[3][4]The pair were together in Italy most of the time for a period of 8 years. This is evidenced by del Monte's witnessing in 1608 of a contract between Rubens and theOratoriansfor the execution of analtarpiecefor the San Filippo Neri church in Ferro, Italy.[4]

Immediately upon his return to Antwerp with Rubens in 1608, del Monte was registered as a 'wijnmeester' ('wine master') of the localGuild of St Luke.[5]As this is a title reserved for the sons of members of the Guild, the conclusion can be drawn that his father was or had been a member of the Guild. Del Monte joined the next year the 'sodaliteit of bejaerde jongmans', a fraternity for bachelors established by the Jesuit order. He served as the 'consulteur' of the fraternity in December 1609, 1610 and 1614.[2]He worked as a painter and is recorded as having a workshop with two pupils in 1610.[3]His earliest commission was for a triptych for the main altar of the Saint Benedict Church in Mortsel. This work was completed in 1612 but was later replaced by a work byAnton Goubauand is now lost.[2]

Equestrian portrait of Wolfgang Wilhelm von Pfalz-Neuburg

Del Monte married Geertruyt vanden Berghe on 26 October 1614. The couple had three sons. The early biographerCornelis de Bieasserts in hisHet Gulden Cabinetof 1662 that del Monte was in the service ofWolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburgfor some time. Some historians place this period of service in the 1610s but this is unlikely since during this time there are ample records of del Monte's presence in Antwerp. It is, however, likely that del Monte was in Wolfgang Wilhelm's service since the Count Palatine knighted him in 1626 and allowed him to have a coat-of-arms.[2]

It is further believed that he entered the service of the then governors of theSouthern Netherlands,the ArchdukesAlbertandIsabella.[3]

He also worked as an architect and military engineer for KingPhilip III of Spain.The King granted him several privileges that were threatened in his later years. Cornelis de Bie alleged that the king's sonPhilip IV of Spainintervened on Del Monte's behalf with his brotherCardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria,who at the time was thegovernor of the Habsburg Netherlands,and his privileges were restored.[2]

In his later years del Monte's financial situation deteriorated, probably because he was no longer able to work due to illness.[2]He died in 1644, having long predicted from the stars that he would die in his 63rd year.[6]

Del Monte's pupils included Boudewyn Claessen (1610), Thomas Morren (1610), Thomas van Bemelen (1621–22), Jakus Adriaenssen (1622–23), van den Berch (1623–24) and Martin Goes (1625–26).[5]

Work

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There is little information about del Monte's painterly oeuvre as only a few signed works have survived. He worked in de genres ofhistory paintingandportrait painting.[5]In 1610 he made an altarpiece for the St Benedict church ofMortsel,which is lost.[3]In 1614 he painted aTransfigurationfor theAntwerp Cathedralwhich is now in theRoyal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.There is a signedThe Descent from the Cross(1623) in the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Hemelvaart Church inMunsterbilzen.[7]These works show the classical plasticity that characterise the works that Rubens painted between 1612 and 1618.[4]

The four elements

AnAdoration of the Magi(Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp) has been attributed to del Monte. This work is of much higher quality than the signed works of del Monte. It possibly helps explain why he was so highly regarded in his time and why the early artist biographer Cornelis de Bie dedicated more space to del Monte than toJacob JordaensandAnthony van Dyck.[2]

Other attributions to del Monte include a painting onThe four elements(sold at Jean Moust) dated 1644, which must then have been painted in the year he was ill and died.[8]The still life in the composition is attributed to Osias Beert the Younger.[9]ATriumph of Bacchus in Indiawas attributed to del Monte when sold in 2000 but toSimon de Voswhen sold by the same auction house Dorotheum in 2002.[10]

A drawing entitledAnointing the Dead Christin theFogg Museumhas been attributed to del Monte. It is a preparatory drawing for a painting by del Monte in the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Hemelvaart Church inMunsterbilzen.[11]

It is assumed that del Monte assisted Rubens in his architectural designs.[3]

References

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  1. ^Further name variations:Dieudonné Delmont,Deodaat del MonteDeodati del Monte,Dieudonne van der Monte,Deodati del MontandDeodati Dermond
  2. ^abcdefghG. Baeck, "Mont, Deodatus van der (1582–1644), schilder en architect", inNationaal biografisch woordenboek,(1970), VII 603–605(in Dutch)
  3. ^abcdefRutger Tijs (1999).Renaissance- en barokarchitectuur in België: Vitruvius' erfenis en de ontwikkeling van de bouwkunst in de Zuidelijke Nederlanden van renaissance tot barok(in Dutch). Lannoo Uitgeverij. pp. 115–122.ISBN978-90-209-3705-3.
  4. ^abcHans Vlieghe. "Monte, Deodaat del."Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 3 December 2013.
  5. ^abcDeodat van der Montat theNetherlands Institute for Art History(in Dutch)
  6. ^Cornelis de Bie,Het Gulden Cabinet(Antwerp, 1661),p. 136.(in Dutch)
  7. ^The Descent from the Crossin Munsterbilzen.
  8. ^Deodat Delmonte,The four elementsat Jean Moust
  9. ^Attributed to Deodat van der Mont and Osias Beert (II),The four elementsat theNetherlands Institute for Art History(in Dutch)
  10. ^[https://rkd.nl/explore/images/238554Attributed to Deodat van der Mont,The Triumph of Bacchusat theNetherlands Institute for Art History(in Dutch)
  11. ^Deodat van der Mont (1582–1644),Anointing the Dead Christat Harvard Art Museum
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