MICHIEL VAN MUSSCHER | Three quarter-length portrait of an artist seated at his writing table

L.W. von Gans, Frankfurt;

His sale, Frankfurt, Hugo Helbing, 7 May 1929, lot 63;

Martin Sternberg, Amsterdam;

By whom sold, Amsterdam, Frederick Muller, 25 October 1932, lot 510;

Dr. J.A. van Dongen, Amsterdam;

By whom sold, Amsterdam, Frederick Muller, 18 June 1957, lot 829;

Willem Russell, Amsterdam, by 1970;

Acquired by 1995.

H. van Hall, Portretten van Nederlandse beeldende kunstenaars, Amsterdam 1963, p. 223, cat. no. 1476.3;

P.J.J. van Thiel, 'Michiel van Musschers vroegste werk naar aanleiding van zijn portret van het echtpaar Comans', in Bulletin van het Rijksmuseum, vol. 17, 1969, p. 3, footnote 21;

W. Russell, 17e-eeuwse schilderijen uit de verzameling willem russell, exh. cat., Amsterdam 1970, p. 82, cat. no. 59, reproduced;

P.J.J. van Thiel, 'Andermaal Michiel van Musscher: zijn zelfportretten', in Bulletin van het Rijksmuseum, vol. 22, 1974, p. 147, footnote 10;

O. Ydema, Carpets and thier datings in Netherlandish Painting 1540-1700, Leiden 1991, p. 85, reproduced;

Raupp 1995, pp. 106–07, cat. no. 39, reproduced in colour;

Rotterdam 2008, p. 94, cat. no. 88, reproduced in colour.

Amsterdam, Historisch Museum, 17e-eeuwse schilderijen uit de verzameling Willem Russell, 20 June – 13 September 1970, no. 59;

Lemgo, Weserrenaissance-Museum Schloss Brake, Portraits - Niederländische Malerei des 17. Jahrhunderts, 18 March – 6 August 1995;

Rotterdam 2008, no. 88.

The SØR Rusche Collection has been exhibited extensively over the last two decades. Please click here for further information.

This portrait has historically(1) been described as a self portrait of the artist but, due to the canvas hanging on the wall behind the sitter, has more recently been referred to as a portrait of a landscape painter (the identity of whom is as yet unidentified). Pieter van Thiel, in his 1974 article addressing Musscher's self portraits (see Literature), wrote that this unidentified 'writing' artist must also have been a collector, as the landscape hanging behind him appears to be of an earlier date than that of this portrait, certainly before 1650.(2)

1 It was last referred to as a self portrait of Michiel van Musscher in the exhibition catalouge of the Willem Russell collection, published in 1970 (see Literature).