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拍品專文
A bearded scholar is imperturbably absorbed in his book. Turned with his back to the spectator, Ter Borch renders him as an anonymous individual whose motionless body has dissolved into the disorderly still life constituting the tranquil composition. Untouched, a viola da gamba leans on a plain wooden chair over which a heavy coat is hung. On the table, covered with a bluish cloth, stands a towering globe, a heap of books precariously leaning against it. The handle of a multi-pouched moneybag sticks out of this assortment. Ter Borch wonderfully captures the quiet, space and atmosphere by employing eloquent contrasts of colour and chiaroscuro staying within a restricted array of fine greys and earth hues.
In his monograph of the artist Sturla Gudlaugsson dated this early masterpiece by Ter Borch accurately to around 1644. One of Ter Borch’s earliest paintings, the Consultation of 1635 in the Berlin Gemäldegalerie, is close in conception to our painting and similarly features a greybeard surrounded by attributes of learning. This Scholar in his study is however more advanced and more effective in its restraint approach, both in colouring and in the number of props. Heralding a strong quality in his later, mature work, the artist is hinting at a narrative. The door is ajar and the beholder wonders whether the viola da gamba and draped coat belong to the scholar or to someone else who is about to enter the room. Ter Borch’s elusiveness tickles the beholder’s imagination.
All of the accoutrements Ter Borch so lovingly portrayed, can be interpreted against the backdrop of vanitas. The sound of the viola da gamba will quickly vanish and is a perfect metaphor for the fleeting nature of life. Knowledge and money allude to earthly pursuits, which are useless in the face of death and the final judgment. This genre scene is an allegory of transience, albeit implicitly. Above all, this painting stands out for its refinement and ineffable psychology.
In his monograph of the artist Sturla Gudlaugsson dated this early masterpiece by Ter Borch accurately to around 1644. One of Ter Borch’s earliest paintings, the Consultation of 1635 in the Berlin Gemäldegalerie, is close in conception to our painting and similarly features a greybeard surrounded by attributes of learning. This Scholar in his study is however more advanced and more effective in its restraint approach, both in colouring and in the number of props. Heralding a strong quality in his later, mature work, the artist is hinting at a narrative. The door is ajar and the beholder wonders whether the viola da gamba and draped coat belong to the scholar or to someone else who is about to enter the room. Ter Borch’s elusiveness tickles the beholder’s imagination.
All of the accoutrements Ter Borch so lovingly portrayed, can be interpreted against the backdrop of vanitas. The sound of the viola da gamba will quickly vanish and is a perfect metaphor for the fleeting nature of life. Knowledge and money allude to earthly pursuits, which are useless in the face of death and the final judgment. This genre scene is an allegory of transience, albeit implicitly. Above all, this painting stands out for its refinement and ineffable psychology.