Hendrick van Steenwyck the Younger Amsterdam circa 1580 - circa 1649 London

This small double-sided copper is an amusing and unusual example of a type of painting that had become popular among a sophisticated and urbane group of collectors by the late sixteenth century.  Painted on both sides, the work presents literally two faces to the viewer: one, Aeneas Rescuing Anchises, a learned depiction of classical antiquity that would have revealed its owner’s erudition and worthiness; and the other, an Amorous Couple in an Interior, a mildly erotic scene, meant to titillate and amuse that same owner’s intimate circle.  Given its unusual theme, it was most likely a specific commission for a gentleman’s private Kunstkammer. 

Hendrick van Steenwyck specialized in painting interiors of churches and other buildings with complex perspectival effects, and a work such as the present picture is rare, if not unique, in his oeuvre. In fact, the recto is one of only two known mythological scenes by the artist.  Here Steenwyck represents an episode from Virgil’s Aeneid showing Aeneas Rescuing Anchises from the Burning Troy. It predates his only other foray into the classical genre, a larger picture (9 by 12 1/4 in.) of the same subject in the Art Institute, Chicago, dateable to 1620.  In both scenes, Anchises is depicted sleeping in a canopied bed, and beyond, visible through the carefully rendered arcade, is a magnificent landscape with the city of Troy on fire.

Subjects from the Aeneid are rare in Netherlandish painting, and were most likely drawn from Italian examples.  In his two treatments of the story, Steenwyck eliminates all incidental genre details, focusing instead on contrasts of color and striking chiaroscuro effects to create a dramatic narrative.  Indeed, the artist may have even chosen this theme because it allowed him ample scope to show off his talent for such night scenes.  On the naughtier verso, Steenwyck makes the amorous couple the main focus of the composition.  The two lovers are on a much larger scale than the figures in the recto Aeneas and Anchises, and the artists adds a such details as wine and other delicacies to emphasize the indulgent atmosphere of the scene.