WILLEM VAN DER VLIETC. 1584 - 1642 | Portrait of a boy aged 8 years in a red costume together with a dog

Oil on panel; signed, dated and inscribed with the age of the sitter upper right: AEta: 8. a° 1636./W(?) van der Vliet fecit

- Jean-Baptiste Eugène de Thiac (1806-1892), a 1800 note indicates that the painting was bought more than thirty years before (Estate inventory in 1892 : two portaits by Cuyp, one representing William III valued 5.000 f.)

The painting seems to be in a satisfactory condition. The panel consist of three planks, joined vertically, and is slightly beveled on all sides; the two joins have been reinforced on the reverse with three pieces of fabric pieces glued to their surfaces. The panel seems to be sound and stable, with no apparent deformation. The joins are visible in the painted surface on the front. The painted surface seems to be in a satisfactory condition, with small wears throughout, especially in the darker backgrounds. Some retouchings can be seen to the naked eye, especially around the boy’s head, in the background and in the reinforced signature. Some very small paint losses are visible throughout. We can notice some very small abrasion due to the frame along the upper edge. Under UV light The painting is difficult to read as it is covered with different varnish layers, irregularly superimposed, some of them have been slightly removed in places. Yet, we can see some retouchings, especially an important one in the drapery on the left. Other retouchings which can be seen: a light retouching along the joins, others around the head of the boy, along the boy’s right shoulder, along his right leg, and on the floor between his legs. Some other smaller retouchings can be seen throughout in the background. Sold with a 19th Century gilt wooden frame. Please note that Sotheby’s does not guarantee the condition of the frame.
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Traditionally attributed to Aelbert Cuyp, this portrait is in fact a highly characteristic work by the Delft painter Willem van der Vliet. Painted in 1636 it represents a privileged boy in rich attire in a fancy bright-red costume, with a big hat in one hand and holding a hunting dog on a decorative leash in the other. Being an impressive full-length depiction, this shows us that the boy represented here must have come from a prosperous well-to-do family, most probably originating from Delft. Never seemingly having left his hometown of Delft, Van der Vliet was the pre-eminent portrait painter of his day and age and the preferred portraitist of the local elite. The inclusion of the dog may have been intended as an allusion to the training of dogs as a metaphor of the education of children. Also the combination of the boy being depicted in large full-length, in a discerning red costume trimmed with white lace and together with the dog are also clear references to the aristocratic descendance of the boy here. Furthermore his elegant shoes and red pants are richly decorated with with red rosettes of cloth or lace, together with the red ostrich feather on his large-brimmed hat.