Adam de Coster

A.C. Nomico, Alexandria, 1949;
Caloyannis collection, Athens, by the late 1940s or early 1950s;
Thence by descent in the family;
Private collection, by 2012.  

Athens, National Gallery and Alexander Soutzos Museum.

Advertisement in Connoisseur, March 1949, p. 50, reproduced;
B. Nicolson, "Notes on Adam de Coster," in The Burlington Magazine, vol. 103, no. 698, May 1961, p. 186;
B. Nicolson, "Candlelight Pictures from the South Netherlands," in The Burlington Magazine, vol. 108, no. 758, May 1966, pp. 252-256, fig. 45; 
B. Nicolson, The International Caravaggesque Movement, Oxford 1979, p. 44;
B. Nicolson, Caravaggism in Europe, Turin 1989, vol. I, p. 101, reproduced vol. II, fig. 1595.

The painting has a relining which is firm and stable. The image in the catalogue is darker in the background areas which are lighter and more brown in tonality in the actual painting. Overall the painting is in good and stable condition and reads well. The surface of the painting has been somewhat pressed in the aforementioned relining and there are areas of thinness noticeable in the blue pigment of the costumes of the figures at far right and center, and in some of the darks such as the curtain at upper right and chair at center. Examination under UV light reveals very little retouching overall for a painting of this size. There are some tiny, cosmetic retouches on the faces of the two women at left side, a small horizontal line of retouching above the wrist of the seated man at far right, another area on the left side of the face of standing man at right, and a couple on his costume. Some retouching along right edge and a few other minor retouches in background. This painting presents a very decorative image and can be hung as is. Offered in a faux-ebony dark wood frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In the absence of signed and documented works by De Coster, all attributions have been based on Lucas Vorsterman's engraving after a lost original entitled The Trick-trak player.¹ The present painting, which was also engraved by Vorsterman, shares a number of similarities with this key, lost work.  Both compositions are multi-figural and lit by candlelight, with a figure in the foreground partially shading the light source.  The artist adopts a low viewpoint in both paintings which means that the table-tops are hardly visible. Lastly, the same wide-brimmed hat is worn by the standing gentleman on the far left of the former's engraving (which would presumably have been the right of the actual painting) and by the man standing at the far right in the present painting.

A second version of this composition, previously attributed to Georges de la Tour and depicting just the left-hand figure group, is in the Musée Municipal, Guéret.²

1. See B. Nicolson, under Literature, 1966, p. 255, fig. 47.
2. See J. Thuillier, Tout l'oeuvre peint de Georges de la Tour, Paris 1973, reproduced plate D14.