DAVID RIJCKAERT III (1612-1661) (circle) Man trimming... Lot 2

DAVID RIJCKAERT III (1612-1661) (circle) Man trimming his moustache (Allegory of vanity). Man counting his money (Allegory of greed). Panel. A pair. Presumably part of a series depicting the seven sins. Right panel (allegory of greed) with flaking in the centre. Provenance: Private collection, England: Private collection, Dilbeek This painting depicts a man with a luxurious attire trimming his moustache in front of a mirror. His clothes, especially the white collar, tell of a certain wealth. Bernadette van Haute describes a comparable painting in her oeuvre catalogue of Rijckaert III (cat. no. A149, p. 147-148) in which a similar figure is surrounded by vanitas symbols such as a monster. Unlike other paintings by Rijckaert, the background in both paintings is left undefined, drawing all attention to the figure functioning as allegory. Similarly, Rijckaert painted several depicitons of a 'goldweigher' referring the the allegory of greed (Van Haute 1999, cat. nos. A87, A152). 41 x 28 cm (x2) (50.5 x 40.5 cm (x2)) Lit.: Bernadette van Haute, David III Rijckaert. A Seveteenth-century Flemish Painter of Peasant Scenes, Pictura Nova VI, Turnhout, 1999, cat. no. A.149 (for comparison).