art commissioned

[tali122]

were all old art works privately commissioned- or did artists produce work on their own violation?, also im told that such commissions were fierecly expensive and would cost the equivalent of millions in todays prices for their patrons -is this true?

[SaxyJag]

I'm no expert, but I imagine it would be a mixture of both, depending on the period.

[Peter Pedant]

artists painting pictures of the Immaculate Conception on their own violation
The mind booooooogles, baby !

volition, in case you are wondering what I am on about. Violation > Crime watch or parkinng fines.....

um.....alot of thecinquecento 1500s Italian were retained by the Church
Holbein - court painter to Henry VIII
Then, Velazquez, born 1599, he was a court painter to the Spanish COurt
Rembrandt - 1600s - He went backrupt but wasnt a very good business man
Peter Paul Rubens and (Dik) van Dyck - retained by CHarles 1 of England

By 1680 - Lely and a few others were in privatae practice

1700- 1750 in England - the age of the converstaion pieces - Abraham Wright of Derby private

1750 - 1800 - Reynolds, Zofany Gainborough private

1800 Turner Constable privagte commision

yup it looks as though IN england royal patronage up to 1650 and then certainly from 1750 private commission

In Spain, the big four are Zurbaran, Velasquez Goya and Mr X - Z is mainly religious- big series in the Bishop of Durham's house - V is mainly court, G is court, and thereafter private commission.

On the continenet there is a baroque period which has a heavy religious element and patronage that the brits didnt have.

Interesting q.

PP

[jno]

I think most work was done for the very rich or the church - it was partly the paint that was expensive, having to be ground down from rare seashells or stone from Uzbekistan or gold leaf or whatever. Rembrandt was probably one of the earliest who painted on spec - he painted himself a lot because he couldn't afford a model; though of course he also did commissioned work such as The Night Watch - done not for church or royalty but for a fine upstanding body of Dutch bourgeois.