Resumen de Rembrandt and the Church Interiors of the Delft School
The new "Delft-type" of church interiors appeared in Dutch painting of the Golden Age exactly at mid-century. It is characterized by an original two-point scheme designed to form a corner at the nearest, assymetrically placed column. No convincing explanation has been provided for this "dramatic turn around 1650" (Giltaij), especially in view of the fact that Gerard Houckgeest - the inventor of the scheme - painted still in 1648 church interiors of the traditional type. I would like to suggest here a source of possible inspiration, namely Rembrandt's Medea-etching of 1648, which on closer analysis shows a similar spatial arrangement. A further link might be provided by the use of curtains both in Rembrandt's works (Holy Family, 1646) and in the church interiors of the Delft-type.
