Attributed to Abraham Janssens Bacchus
Attributed to Abraham Janssens
Antwerp 1567 - 1632
Bacchus
Oil on panel
64,2 x 49,2 cm ; 25¼ by 19⅜ in.
Condition Report:
The painting is in good condition.
The panel is cradled.
The support is sound and stable.
A vertical crack between two panels is slightly visible in the centre.
The paint layer is in good condition.
It does not show any loss or uplift.
Some small losses are visible along the edges, due to the rubbing of the frame.
The varnish is yellow and oxidized.
Under UV light
The UV light shows a thick and uneven varnish.
Some rare retouches are visible, scattered throughout the surface of the work, especially along the central crack and on the right part of the face.
Offered in a burl-wooden frame.
Please note that Sotheby’s does not guarantee the condition of the frames.
Catalogue Note:
This sculptural figure of Bacchus inescapably evokes the style of Abraham Janssens, which was marked by the influence the international Caravaggesque movement: the strength of the figure’s modelling; the fluid, laden brushstroke; and the marked contrasts between the bunches of grapes simply accentuated with a touch of light and the model’s florid complexion – all these are notably comparable to the light effects in Scaldis and Antverpia by the same master (Musée Royal des Beaux-Arts, Antwerp, inv. 212).
In the present composition, Bacchus, god of wine in Roman mythology, is shown with his classical attributes: wearing a crown of grapes and vine leaves, he holds a glass in his right hand, whose facture is typical of sixteenth century Flemish goldsmiths’ work. In fact, it was in Antwerp that Janssens settled permanently in 1602, after his travels in Italy.
Another attribution, to Jan van Dalen, has been suggested as a result of comparing the present Bacchus to one in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest (inv. 1678). Active in Antwerp in the mid-seventeenth century, Jan van Dalen produced several portraits of Bacchus, and our version could be another of these.
Provenance:
Collection Leo van Puyvelde, Chief Curator of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium;
By descent to the present owner.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
Attributed to Abraham Janssens
Antwerp 1567 - 1632
Bacchus
Oil on panel
64,2 x 49,2 cm ; 25¼ by 19⅜ in.
Condition Report:
The painting is in good condition.
The panel is cradled.
The support is sound and stable.
A vertical crack between two panels is slightly visible in the centre.
The paint layer is in good condition.
It does not show any loss or uplift.
Some small losses are visible along the edges, due to the rubbing of the frame.
The varnish is yellow and oxidized.
Under UV light
The UV light shows a thick and uneven varnish.
Some rare retouches are visible, scattered throughout the surface of the work, especially along the central crack and on the right part of the face.
Offered in a burl-wooden frame.
Please note that Sotheby’s does not guarantee the condition of the frames.
Catalogue Note:
This sculptural figure of Bacchus inescapably evokes the style of Abraham Janssens, which was marked by the influence the international Caravaggesque movement: the strength of the figure’s modelling; the fluid, laden brushstroke; and the marked contrasts between the bunches of grapes simply accentuated with a touch of light and the model’s florid complexion – all these are notably comparable to the light effects in Scaldis and Antverpia by the same master (Musée Royal des Beaux-Arts, Antwerp, inv. 212).
In the present composition, Bacchus, god of wine in Roman mythology, is shown with his classical attributes: wearing a crown of grapes and vine leaves, he holds a glass in his right hand, whose facture is typical of sixteenth century Flemish goldsmiths’ work. In fact, it was in Antwerp that Janssens settled permanently in 1602, after his travels in Italy.
Another attribution, to Jan van Dalen, has been suggested as a result of comparing the present Bacchus to one in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest (inv. 1678). Active in Antwerp in the mid-seventeenth century, Jan van Dalen produced several portraits of Bacchus, and our version could be another of these.
Provenance:
Collection Leo van Puyvelde, Chief Curator of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium;
By descent to the present owner.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
