Willem van Haecht, The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest

Paintings of a collection of paintings. That was a trend in the early 17th century. In 1628, Willem van Haecht produced an absolute classic of the genre, with the Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest. Rubens also features in the painting. And that's no coincidence.

Archdukes, mayors, artists and renowned collectors. People with status, followers and power. All are on the guest list for this VIP party. We see the vast collection of art enthusiast Cornelis van der Geest, who commissioned Willem van Haecht to immortalise it. It is a life-size collage of all the works he owned. As though you can scroll through them.  

Besides being a close friend, Van Haecht was also an important patron of Rubens. So the latter obviously had to be there on the canvas too. Rubens was given a prominent place behind Archduke Albrecht: an important position, literally close to the rulers of the Southern Netherlands. Together with celebrities from the artistic and scientific world, they are admiring 43 paintings in van der Geest's gallery. Anyone who was anyone was there. A social network that trumped all others.

Cornelis is proudly showing the archduke and his wife Isabella one of the showpieces of his collection: the Madonna and Child by Quinten Massys. Rubens is sharing his impressive knowledge with the archduke, while behind the painting, Anthony van Dyck is striking up a conversation with Jan van Monfort, Mint Master of Antwerp.  

Van Haecht himself - who was responsible for the day-to-day management of the huge collection - is also cautiously hovering at the doorway. He doffs his hat as a mark of respect for the distinguished guests. 

Nice detail: for the various characters in the painting, Van Haecht used existing portraits by Rubens and Van Dyck as inspiration. What's more, recent research suggests that the master and his pupil created a number of these portraits especially for this painting.  

But all credit to Van Haecht. Although he only painted four art galleries in his lifetime, all commissioned by Cornelis van der Geest, they are all extremely special canvases, and Van Haecht is regarded as the originator of this genre. Only a handful of artists imitated him. Incidentally, one of the paintings vanished without a trace in 1936.

Of the works displayed on the wall, 24 are still known today, exhibited in major museums around the world. Besides paintings, various other elements can be seen in the work: bronze figurines, a cabinet full of Chinese porcelain, a globe, antique coins and various scientific instruments. The objects are a kind of elite calling card that were intended to reflect how the nobility lived. And what they had in their cupboards. A closer inspection is rewarded with ever more detail.

Outside, ships are sailing on the Scheldt, and above the door is the message 'Vive l'esprit', a nod to the client - 'Long live Van der Geest!' - but also a reference to the capacity of artistic and intellectual talent to inspire the rest of the world.  

'Revolutionary' is one word to describe the recent restoration of this work. The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) in Brussels let its experts go to town on it in 2019. They confirmed that the oak panel is composed of seven horizontal planks, and one vertical. This opposing action of the wood had caused significant damage to the panel and the paint layer.

In order to structurally support the panel, the restorer developed a flexible support made of sitka spruce, completely customised for the work. This flexible wood species absorbs the movement of the planks, and is a common technique in the aviation industry. A climate box in the frame protects the work from fluctuations in temperature and humidity.

Old layers and additions were removed, cracks were filled in and original shades were brought back to life thanks to thorough cleaning.  As such, details that had been hidden for centuries were once again exposed. Among other things, Willem van Haecht's eyes now had their original colour again.  

During the restoration, researchers stumbled upon something interesting: invisible perspective lines lead the eye to a specific work on the wall of the gallery: The Battle of the Amazons by Rubens. The discovery underscores the link to Rubens and the importance of The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest for the museum.