| The Reverse of a Framed Painting | |
| Artist: | Cornelius Norbertus Gysbrechts |
| Year: | 1670 |
| Medium: | Oil on canvas |
| Height Metric: | 66.4 |
| Width Metric: | 87 |
| Museum: | Statens Museum for Kunst |
The Reverse of a Framed Painting (in Danish: Bagsiden af et indrammet maleri) is a still life trompe-l'œil painting by Flemish painter Cornelius Norbertus Gysbrechts, made in 1670,[1] when the artist was working as the official painter of the Danish royal court. The painting is commonly considered a masterpiece of trompe-l'œil painting[2] for its deceptively sculptural representation of the back of a framed painting in a canvas.
The work has already been called as "the most radical meditation about painting as an object and as an image",[3] and is interpreted as an early example of conceptual art.[4]
The first bibliographic reference mentioning the existence of the painting was the inventory of 1 August 1674 of the Kunstkammer of the royal family of Denmark, during the reign of Christian V of Denmark, although it is believed that this was a commission of the former king, Frederick III of Denmark, since he had interest in collectionism[5] and, especially, in Flemish painting, which could have led him to hire Cornelius Gysbrechts for the position of royal court painter.
The original approach of the trompe-l'œil technique on the work, at the time, allowed the viewer to see it as an object of curiosity, suitable to be shown in a Kunstkammer, such as the intention of the painter. In order to reinforce its illusion, the painting was supposedly exhibited leaning on the entrance hall of the Royal Danish Kunstkammer,[6] suggesting the idea that the painting was just a frame, yet to be hung up. Even today, the painting is exhibited in this way at the Statens Museum for Kunst.