ANONIEM / ANONYME 1/2 XVII Pipe smoking painter... Lot 1

ANONIEM / ANONYME 1/2 XVII Pipe smoking painter in his workshop in front of his easel. Presumably Northern Netherlands, c. 1630. Canvas (old relining). Presumably signed below on the canvas on the easel (partly faded): 'P. Ja.aemo...[?] .L fecit De Chrest [?]...'. 18th-century Louis XVI frame in gilt wood. Provenance: Private collection, England Private collection, Dilbeek With a certain attitude and a frowning face, the painter looks towards the spectator while smoking his pipe. In his left hand, he holds his painter's palette and brushes. On the easel behind him we see his unfinished canvas probably depicting the vision of St. Francis of Assisi or St. Anthony of Padua. His clothes and his rather long hair situate this (self?)portrait in the early 17th century, around 1630. It is not entirely certain whether the painter portrayed is an artist from the Northern or Southern Netherlands. Details such as the broken earthenware jug and the wear on his clothes - note the missing button and the loosening sleeve - suggest that the painter might occupy himself with genre painting. These rather scruffy elements are highly exceptional details for a self-portrait in which painters typically portrayed themselves in a neat, charismatic manner to underline their success as an artist. For this reason, it is not entirely certain whether this mysterious painting is a self-portrait. 49 x 39.8 cm (73 x 64 cm)