Willem Schellinks

WILLEM SCHELLINKS (Amsterdam, 1623–1678).
“Dutch Soldiers Looting and Setting Fire to a Church.”
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 54.8 x 54.2 cm; 75.2 x 74.4 cm (frame).
A unique and unusual scene by Willem Schellinks, one of the most versatile Dutch painters and draftsmen of the 17th century. The composition depicts a group of Dutch soldiers looting and setting fire to a religious building, while several clergymen are shown kneeling before an officer. In the background, the Catholic church, already engulfed in flames, lends an intense dramatic effect. The work stands out for the extraordinary rarity of its subject within Schellinks’s oeuvre. There are two known fully signed works by the artist devoted to this particular theme of violence against Catholic religious buildings: this painting and another, larger composition housed at the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, which also depicts a religious building set ablaze and looted by Dutch troops.
The treatment of the scene reveals the influence of the Italianate landscape style, particularly that of Jan Asselijn, who had a considerable influence on Schellinks. A particularly interesting aspect is the identification of the soldiers. In the 17th century, standardized military uniforms did not yet exist, but in this scene, the orange elements worn by the horsemen allow them to be identified as Dutch troops.
The subject matter is historically unique: Schellinks was born after the episodes of looting of Flemish churches that he depicts, making this a historical reenactment. The distinctly Italianate atmosphere may be linked to his travels through Italy (1663–1665), although the intense chiaroscuro suggests a later execution, possibly in the 1670s. The work thus combines history, landscape, and theatrical dramatization.
Willem Schellinks was a Dutch painter and draftsman who studied under Jan Wijnants; he was strongly influenced by the Italianate landscape style of Jan Asselijn and, to a lesser extent, by Nicolaes Berchem.He was a particularly well-traveled artist: he traveled through France, England, Italy, Sicily, Malta, Switzerland, and Germany, leaving behind numerous topographical views. His body of work stands out for the variety and originality of its subjects.