Old Master & 19th Century Paintings
Old Master & 19th Century Paintings
Christian van Couwenbergh
Portrait of a man, half-length, in the guise of Bacchus holding a drinking vessel
Lot Closed
April 5, 11:05 AM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Christian van Couwenbergh
Delft 1604–1667 Cologne
Portrait of a man, half-length, in the guise of Bacchus holding a drinking vessel
oil on oak panel
unframed: 69 x 54.5 cm.; 27⅛ x 21½ in.
framed: 83 x 68.5 cm.; 32⅝ x 27 in.
Possibly Fonthill Abbey, Wiltshire (according to a label on the reverse);
Anonymous sale ('A different property'), Christie's, London, 29 June 1889, lot 74 (as Jordaens 'From Fonthill') for £3.3s.0d to 'Parsons' ;
Private collection, USA.
This composition, showing a young gentleman in the guise of the mythological god of wine Bacchus, is typical of the Netherlandish Caravaggisti painters during the early-seventeenth century. Although it is not known whether Christiaen van Couwenbergh did visit Italy, as Arnold Houbraken later claimed he had, the painter is recorded to have spent time in the company of Dirck van Baburen (1592/93–1624) and Gerard van Honthorst (1592–1656) in Utrecht during the early 1620s. The handling of the fleshtones in this particular work can be compared to another Bacchus by the artist offered at auction in 2019.1
1 Christie's Online, New York, 20 October 2020, lot 58.