ABSTRACT

Delft-born Adriaen van de Venne (1580–1662) is an artist well-known for his genre scenes, portraits, and book illustrations. He also created images with great moralistic and comic value, such as his painting Hoe dienen wij bij een!, made between c. 1614 and 1662. This painting portrays two brown and black-spotted owls in the guise of humans skating on a frozen lake. As other more conventional birds soar above the distant skeletal trees, these feathered creatures both wear contemporary clothing. The male owl also clenches a rope in his beak with a pair of glasses knotted at the end. This same rope attaches behind him to the female owl’s chest, but instead of spectacles, her end holds several dead mice. Above the two anthropomorphic animals floats a banderole, which translates to ‘How well we go together!’ Although scholars believe van de Venne intended this work as lighthearted with only a vague message of foolishness, I contend that through the artist’s use of iconographic imagery and well-known proverbs and themes, van de Venne produced a humorous painting with a moralizing and didactic message which condemned the vice of adultery and warned the male audience about the dangers of a cunning woman.

摘要

出生于代尔夫特的Adriaen van de Venne（1580–1662）是一位以流派场景，肖像和书籍插图而闻名的艺术家。他还创作了具有重大道德和喜剧价值的图像，例如他的画作《Hoe dienen wij bij een！》。，由c。1614年和1662年。这幅画描绘了两只棕色和黑色斑点的猫头鹰，以人类为幌子在冰冻的湖面上滑冰。当其他更传统的鸟类在遥远的骨骼树上so翔时，这些羽毛动物都穿着现代服装。雄性猫头鹰还用一副打结的眼镜在他的喙中系住一条绳索。这条相同的绳子在他身后附在雌性猫头鹰的胸前，但末端没有眼镜，而是装有几只死老鼠。在这两个拟人化动物的上方漂浮着一条砂锅，这表示“我们在一起的程度如何！” 尽管学者们认为范德文纳（Van de Venne）希望本作品轻松自如，只含糊糊地传达愚蠢的信息，但我还是坚持认为，通过艺术家对肖像意象的使用以及众所周知的谚语和主题，