Attributed to Enoch Seeman Self-portrait of the artist with his...

Attributed to Enoch Seeman
Gdañsk c. 1689–1744 London
Self-portrait of the artist with his brother Isaac (d. 1751)

oil on canvas
unframed: 92.6 x 71.1 cm.; 36½ x 28 in.
framed: 113.1 x 93.4 cm.; 44½ x 36¾

Condition Report:
The canvas has a firm lining, the paint surface is slightly dirty and the varnish is clear. Apart from a couple of scuff marks in the background along the left and right margins, the picture presents well and is ready to hang. The darker tones seem to have sunken and lost some definition with age. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals a layer of uneven milky varnish and scattered areas of restoration: a vertical line, possibly associated with an old scratch, by the profile of the figure in blue measuring approximately cm; spots in the background surrounding the figure in red, above his head and by his lower back; a more concentrated area in his orange sleeve, possibly associated with a repaired tear. The picture is in overall fairly good condition.

Catalogue Note:
Datable to the 1720s, this portrait of a young artist and his companion has recently been identified as a work by Enoch Seeman depicting the artist and his brother Isaac, also a painter. The likeness of the figure turned towards the viewer accords well with a now-lost three-quarter-length self-portrait engraved by John Faber Jr in 1727.1 Moreover, a comparable portrayal of the artist and his brother is recorded with Philip Mould, London.2

1 See, for example, the impression in the National Portrait Gallery, London; https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw81740/Enoch-Seeman

2 Oil on canvas; 127 x 101.2 cm.; https://philipmould.com/artworks/categories/19/367-enoch-seeman-self-portrait-with-the-painters-brother-isaac-d.1751/?open_enquiry_form=true