Matthijs Naiveu

MATTHIJS NAIVEU (Leiden, 1647 – Amsterdam, 1726).
“The Temptations of Saint Anthony.”
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the center-right.
Measurements: 43.3 x 52.8 cm; 58.4 x 68.4 cm (frame).

Fantasy and the grotesque come together in this unique depiction of “The Temptations of Saint Anthony,” a work signed by Matthijs Naiveu, one of the most versatile and original painters of the Dutch school of the late 17th century. Trained by Gerrit Dou, a leading figure among the fijnschilders, or “fine painters,” of Leiden, Naiveu takes on a long-standing iconographic tradition here, transforming it through a distinctly personal, narrative, and theatrical style.

Saint Anthony is depicted resisting the many temptations sent by the devil during his retreat as a hermit. Before the saint, an elderly procuress introduces an attractive young woman, the personification of carnal temptations. Around this central scene, Naiveu unfolds a whole fantastical repertoire: in the foreground, a strange winged creature resembling a dragon parades by, while, next to a door, a small demon attempts to seduce the hermit with the sound of his flute. The presence of the thistle in the foreground also reflects the growing interest that, around 1700, Dutch painters took in undergrowth details and meticulous depictions of nature.

The composition ties into one of the most fascinating iconographic traditions of Northern art. The Temptations of Saint Anthony had achieved extraordinary popularity since the late Middle Ages thanks to Hieronymus Bosch, and were later reinterpreted by Flemish and Dutch masters such as Pieter Brueghel the Elder, David Teniers II, David Ryckaert III, and Mattheus van Helmont. Naiveu revives this legacy through a fully Baroque sensibility, emphasizing the extravagant nature of the figures and transforming the religious episode into a scene of great visual richness.

Matthijs Naiveu began his training with Abraham Toorenvliet, although his apprenticeship with Gerrit Dou—a disciple of Rembrandt and the leading representative of the Leiden school of fine painting—between 1667 and 1669 proved decisive. The importance placed on this training is reflected in the 100 guilders paid annually for his instruction, an exceptionally high sum for the time. In 1671, Naiveu joined the Guild of Saint Luke in Leiden, an institution in which he went on to hold leadership positions in 1677 and 1678. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Amsterdam, where he continued to pursue a prolific career.

An extraordinarily versatile artist, he painted genre scenes, social gatherings, parties, theatrical performances, portraits, still lifes, and biblical subjects. It is precisely this thematic breadth, combined with his narrative inventiveness and his penchant for unconventional compositions, that sets him apart within late Baroque Dutch painting.