Follower of Sir Anthony van Dyck

With Koetser, London (according to a mount at the Witt Library, London).

The canvas has been lined, the paint surface is slightly dirty and the varnish is rather discoloured. There are some patches of discoloured retouching in the background, left, and above the apostle's head, as well as in the cover of the book - these all measure approx. 1 by 3 cm. There is a larger area of retouching where the apostle's beard overlaps with his cloak, measuring approx. 2 by 6 cm., and a line of retouching running along the lower left margin. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals other small spot retouchings, but little other intervention. In overall good condition.
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This painting is inspired by the multiple series and independent works of Christ and His Apostles by Van Dyck, of which dozens of versions, derivations and prints exist. The only autograph series known to have once been a complete set of thirteen panels is the so-called Böhler series, kept together for almost 300 years and now dispersed in various collections throughout Europe.¹ The apostles belong to a rich tradition of depicting a variety of male physiognomies that show a range of emotional expressions. The apostles most commonly shown with the attribute of a book are Thomas and Paul.

1. For a full discussion of the series and independent works, see S. J. Barnes et al., Van Dyck. A complete catalogue of the paintings, New Haven and London 2004, pp. 67–70.