Artwork

Trompe l'Oeil with Trumpet, Celestial Globe and Proclamation by Frederik III

Trompe l'Oeil with Trumpet, Celestial Globe and Proclamation by Frederik III is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts. It dates from 1670 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. Created in 1670, this oil painting exemplifies the trompe‑l’œil genre popular in the Dutch Golden Age.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting shows a trompe l'oeil arrangement that includes a trumpet, a celestial globe, and a proclamation scroll, all rendered in oil on canvas.

The painting shows a trompe l'oeil arrangement that includes a trumpet, a celestial globe, and a proclamation scroll, all rendered in oil on canvas. The trumpet and globe serve as visual symbols of martial authority and scientific knowledge, while the proclamation functions as a painted document asserting the legitimacy of King Frederik III's rule. Together these elements comment on the intersection of art, power, and imperial ideology in late seventeenth‑century Denmark.

Technique & Style

The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, reflecting the trompe l'oeil technique that creates illusionistic depth through precise rendering of light and texture. Its formal composition juxtaposes a trumpet, a celestial globe, and a proclamation, combining illusionistic realism with symbolic still life elements. The painting measures 138.6 cm in height and 204.8 cm in width, and it is housed at the Statens Museum for Kunst.

History & Provenance

Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts created Trompe l'Oeil with Trumpet, Celestial Globe and Proclamation by Frederik III in 1670. Executed in oil paint on canvas, the work measures 138.6 by 204.8 cm. The painting's inception date is recorded as 1670. It is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

The painting is held by the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.

Its inventory/accession details are recorded as inventory number KMS3693 in the museum’s holdings, with dimensions of 138.6 cm in height and 204.8 cm in width.

The work has been exhibited at the Statens Museum for Kunst, though no separate exhibition history beyond the museum’s permanent collection is documented in the cited sources.

Overview

Created in 1670, this oil painting exemplifies the trompe‑l’œil genre popular in the Dutch Golden Age. It presents a meticulously rendered desk scene in which a trumpet, a folded proclamation, a celestial globe and assorted drapery are arranged to appear as three‑dimensional objects, their surfaces modeled with precise light and shadow.

Context

Gijsbrechts specialized in illusionistic still lifes that catered to aristocratic patrons fascinated by visual tricks and intellectual themes. This painting reflects the cross‑court cultural exchange of the period, combining Northern European artistic techniques with motifs of royal propaganda and scientific curiosity.

Trompe l'Oeil with Trumpet, Celestial Globe and Proclamation by Frederik III, Unknown

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Artist & collection

Artist

Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts

Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts (1625/1629 – after 1675), was a Flemish painter who was active in the Spanish Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden in the second half of the seventeenth century.