South Netherlandish or German School, circa 1630. a young man playing the flute, before a table set with various smoking implements and a deck of cards

oil on panel. 92 by 67.3 cm.; 36 1/4 by 26 1/2 in. Estimate 40,000—60,000 GBP - Lot sold 68,450 GBP   

PROVENANCE: With Eric Turquin, Rue St. Anne, Paris (according to label on the reverse);
Anonymous sale, Paris, Tajan, 22 June 2006, lot 26 where acquired by the present owner.

NOTE: The painter and indeed the precise origin of this impressive panel remain elusive. Although clearly aware of the impact of contemporary Caravaggism in the north, especially in the centres of Utrecht in the northern Netherlands and Antwerp in the south, its author has decried its interest in dramatic chiaroscuro in favour of a more decorative line. The elaborate costume and finely rendered still life elements, reminiscent of painters like Gottfried Wedig in Cologne, suggest that its author may have been working to the east of the Netherlands in the Rhineland. A similar artistic personality can be found, for example, in Simon Peter Tilmann (1601-1668), who was apprenticed in Utrecht and worked there from around 1637 to 1647, but otherwise worked in Bremen.

Sotheby's. Old Master Paintings. 04 Dec 08. London courtesy Sotheby's. www.sothebys.com