couple wearing rather plain garments, with woman at left standing behind a table, holding a bucket of fish with her PL hand; flat tray-like basket of fish on table, with long, thin fish on table in LRC; man at right seated on edge of a boat; sea scene behind couple with fishermen on boats and on shore pulling in nets and filling barrels; tower with smoke in ULC; text at bottom below image

Phlegmatic, 1590s

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Engravingexpand_more

Gift of funds from Barbara S. Longfellowexpand_more  2015.51.2

Not on Viewexpand_more

This couple has the calm patience required for the tedious work of fishing and mending nets. They embody the phlegmatic temperament, the personality trait governed by phlegm. The obvious association with water suggests that these people go with the flow.

This plate belongs to a series of four engravings designed by Maarten de Vos, the most important painter in late 16th-century Antwerp, and executed by the highly skilled Flemish engraver Pieter d Jode I.

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Details
Title
Phlegmatic
Artist Life
1570–1634
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2015.51.2
Provenance
Possibly Gaston de Ramaix (Belgium, 1878-1937, see Lugt 4099). Probably Henri Godts, Brussels, March 14, 2014, lot 46; [Nicolaas Teeuwisse, Berlin, cat. XV, p. 18-21, no. 6, illus.]
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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couple wearing rather plain garments, with woman at left standing behind a table, holding a bucket of fish with her PL hand; flat tray-like basket of fish on table, with long, thin fish on table in LRC; man at right seated on edge of a boat; sea scene behind couple with fishermen on boats and on shore pulling in nets and filling barrels; tower with smoke in ULC; text at bottom below image