In short

Palamedes Palamedeszoon was one of the major Dutch battle scene painters. Like his Dutch and Flemish colleagues he specialized in representations of contemporary cavalry battle scenes from the Eighty Year’s War, during which Holland fought for its independence from Spain. But in this unique subject, which he painted at the age of nineteen, he chose for an unidentified battle scene from Classical Antiquity. Both his first and last name refer to the Greek hero who forced Ulysses into participating to the Trojan War.

About Palamedes Palamedesz.

Dutch painter
Leith (near Edinburgh) Scotland 1605 – 1638 Delft

Battle scene painter and painter of military encampments.

Younger brother of Anthonie Palamedesz. (Delft 1601 – 1673 Amsterdam), who was a genre and portrait painter; he often painted interior scenes, especially guard room scenes, and is also known as a staffage painter in landscapes and architectural scenes by other painters. 

Arnold Houbraken (1660 – 1719) published in 1718 his famous “De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen”, a biography of all important Dutch painters. The major part of his text on Palamedes Palamedesz. he apparently “borrowed” from an earlier book, “Beschryvinge der Stadt Delft” by Dirck Evertsz. van Bleyswijck. This future burgomaster of Delft was only 17 years old when he published in 1667 this description of his hometown and the greatest accomplishments of its citizens.

According to van Bleyswijck Palamedes Stevaert, the father of Anthonie and Palamedes Palamedesz., was a gem-cutter and sculptor from Delft who carved semi-precious stones (jasper, porphyry, agate, etc.) into vases and other decorative art. This father was of Flemish origin; he must have been one of those many Protestants who fled from Flanders and its Spanish Inquisition to Holland. 

Van Bleyswijck further tells that our painter, not his elder brother Anthonie, was born while his father was at the service of King James VI of Scotland (1566 – 1625). Shortly after Palamedes’ birth he returned with his family to Delft. 

Palamedes Palamedesz. was strongly influenced by the first Dutch painter of contemporary battle scenes, Esaias van de Velde (Amsterdam 1587 – 1630 The Hague). It is not known if he studied under him. According to Houbraken Palamedes was so talented that he learned painting just by copying paintings of van de Velde.

Our painter became a Master in the Painters’ Guild of Delft in 1627.

As to Anthonie’s teacher he is also unknown, but it has been speculated that he may have studied in Delft with the court painter Michiel van Mierevelt and/or Hendrick Pot, who was in the city in 1620. 

Palamedes Palamedesz. died at the very young age of 31 in 1638.

It is thought he worked during his complete career in Delft, except for the period 1631/32 when he lived in Antwerp. During that period Anthonie van Dijck made an engraving with his portrait. I do not know why he moved to Antwerp one year after his marriage, nor why he left again so rapidly. But in 1632 the chances of war had again shifted. The Dutch Stadtholder Frederick Henry in his famous “March along the Meuse” captured several towns (Venlo, Roermond and Maastricht) as a preparation for the conquest of the more important Flemish towns of Antwerp and Brussels, which he hoped to take the next year. But this was never to happen … due to the lack of enthusiasm of the Flemish. Why? In fact because since the start of the Eighty Years’ War in 1566 sixty four years had passed during which most Protestants had fled Flanders for Holland (and some for Germany). In other words the very large majority of the population of Flanders was Catholic and therefore pro-Spanish. And above all they were fed up with this war. 

About the origin of his first name “Palamedes”

According to the Pseudo-Apollodorus (1st or 2nd century AD) in his “Epitome” (the fourth book of the “Bibliotheca”) Palamedes was the name of the Greek hero who proved Ulysses’ so-called madness, which he feigned so that he would not have to participate in the War of Troy, was fictitious by threatening to kill his only son Telemachus:

“ But he, not wishing to go to the war, feigned madness. However, Palamedes, son of Nauplius, proved his madness to be fictitious; and when Ulysses pretended to rave, Palamedes followed him, and snatching Telemachus from Penelope's bosom, drew his sword as if he would kill him. And in his fear for the child Ulysses confessed that his madness was pretended, and he went to the war.” (Epitome III, 7)

Ulysses never forgave Palamedes and at the end of the Trojan War he falsely accused him of treason and had him stoned to death.

In 1625 the famous Dutch author Joost van den Vondel wrote a tragedy based on this story: “Palamedes oft Vermoorde onnoselheyd” (“Palamedes or the murdered innocence”).

About his last name “Palamedesz.”

In 17th century Holland the “z.” at the end of a last name stands for “zoon”, “son”. The exact pronunciation of our painters’ last name is therefore “Palamedeszoon”.

About the subject of our painting

Our painting must very probably represent the most famous and popular Classical battle between Western and Eastern troops from Antiquity, the Battle of Issus, where the Macedonian and Greek troops of Alexander the Great beat the Persian army of Emperor Darius III.

Our painter was nineteen years old when he painted this scene, one year before joining the painter’s guild in his birthplace Delft. As his last name refers to one of the heroes of the War of Troy he might also have represented a scene from that war, as a clash between Greek and Trojan horsemen. 

In any case the Greek soldiers are represented as one expects, with a plumed helmet, while the Eastern troops (Persians or Trojans) are represented as contemporary Ottoman, Turkish warriors.

Why should you buy this painting?

Because it is a unique subject in Palamedesz.’s artistic production: a battle scene from Classical Antiquity.