Theatre of Painting

The Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery is showing a unique exhibition: David Teniers and the Theatre of Painting, which continues until 21 January 2007. David Teniers the Younger (1610-90), official court painter and unofficial curator of the huge art collection amassed by Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, set out to create an illustrated catalogue of 243 of the Archduke’s most admired Italian paintings. He employed a team of 12 engravers and painted miniatures of the works to be copied to assure accuracy. In 1660 he published at his own expense the Theatrum Pictorium or "Theatre of Painting", the first illustrated printed catalogue of an important collection of paintings. With loans from major galleries and museums, the Courtauld's exhibition illuminates Teniers' ground-breaking achievement.