The mother seated in an inn.

The mother of Dutch 'Golden Age' painter and etcher Cornelis Pietersz. Bega (Begijn) (1631/2-64) inherited half the estate of her renowned Mannerist artist father Cornelis van Haarlem. Bega's father, Pieter Jansz. Begijn, was a goldsmith and silversmith: such was Bega's prosperous, artistic Haarlem family. He studied with the top genre painter Adriaen van Ostade, well represented in his prints at Te Papa. Bega's early works recall his teacher's dark, freely executed, many-figured subjects, though he often showed more psychological insight. From 1653 to 1654 he visited Germany, Switzerland and France, then returned to Haarlem to join the Guild of Saint Luke. His life was cut short, probably by the plague epidemic, ten years later. 

Bega's principal subjects were taverns, domestic interiors and villages, with characters ranging from nursing mothers and prostitutes to gamblers and alchemists. Between about 1660 and 1664, his genre scenes became more colourful, less populated, more emotionally expressive, and more focused on the fine details of object textures. Among those influenced by Bega was Jan Steen. Later European artists imitated Bega's style and borrowed characters from his dramas. Bega also drew, etched, and made counterproofs in a variety of materials. Though sadly short-lived, Bega became well known in his lifetime for his Dutch peasant genre themes, use of tenebrism (dramatic light and shade) and experimental methods of printmaking.

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The graphic oeuvre of Cornelis Bega consists of just 36 etchings. Of these, 21 are either single head portrayals or full length figure studies. His fame, therefore rests upon the remaining (and remarkable) fifteen etchings created near the end of his life which depict groups of figures, in tight, geometric forms. In The mother seated in an inn, the figures are almost locked together in a pyramidal grouping. This structure is fully heightened by the strong contrasts of light and dark, behind them, and by the intentionally unfinished foreground. Our eyes are fixed to the primary three figures and their motions and expressions. Coming between the man and his wife and newly-born child is the inn-keeper, holding a large container of ale. An uncomfortable rift is thus created, emphasised both by the sinister appearance of the inn-keeper and by the dark shadows in the background. Is Bega thus suggesting that alcohol is the danger that might possibly cause ruination to this family? Perhaps, but the emotional elements within this great etching are neither straightforward nor didactic.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Bega's mature etchings and paintings of peasant life do not seem to point to moralising commentary. Rather they depict a highly imaginary world of figures set within strong areas of light and dark more reminiscent of a theatre stage than an inn or tavern. In these ways, Bega's art is much closer to the etchings and aquatints of Goya and his Caprichos than to his fellow seventeenth century Dutch etchers. Within this theatre he gives us humanity, complete with its inevitable virtues and vices. In The mother seated in an inn, the inn-keeper definitely introduces a threatening element but this is countered by the obvious love and caring we see in the mother to her child. Such ambiguities always lie in close proximity and Bega's genius lies in his unique ability to portray them.

This print is from the second state of two. For a closely related theme, see Bega's The young mother (Te Papa 1869-0001-23).

See:

Art of the Print, 'Cornelis Bega', http://www.artoftheprint.com/artistpages/bega_cornelus_familyintheinn.htm

The J. Paul Getty Museum, 'Cornelis Bega', http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/294/cornelis-bega-dutch-16311632-1664/

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art   September 2018