Dutch school circa 1626, entourage of Jan van... Lot 4

Dutch school circa 1626, entourage of Jan van Bijlert A carnival concert TOILE 98.5 x 120 cm Monogrammed (?) on the neck of the instrument SVH (? or SNH) and dated 1626 (?) With its format, half-body figures, even light emphasizing realistic details, tight framing and cheerful composition, our painting is a perfect example of the Caravaggesque aesthetic imported from Rome to the Netherlands, particularly Utrecht, by artists such as Gerrit Honthorst, Hendrick Ter Brugghen, Dirk Van Baburen and Jan Van Bijlert. Inspired by the many Caravaggesque banqueting and concert scenes painted in Rome in the early 17th century, but with a more playful connotation served by a lighter, brighter palette, our painting gives a slightly more rustic representation, borrowing from the spirit of the Comedia dell' Arte. Characters in Carnival costume are equipped with various kitchen utensils - poker, colander, foëne - which they use as musical instruments; in a festive, playful atmosphere, four young men have gathered to make some noise. The older figure on the left conceals playing cards in the back of his hat: he's the epitome of a trickster trying to deceive the world around him. He wears a mask, the traditional attribute of fraud. The red vest with white stripes down the back, the long blue-striped sleeve and the improvised turban tied over his neighbor's head are all nods to the compositions of these Utrecht painters, whose Concert by Hendrick ter Brugghen (1626-1627, London, National Gallery) and Gerrit Honthorst (1623, Washington, The National Gallery of Art) are models of the genre. Similarly, the feathered hat recalls the secular subjects of Gerrit van Honthorst and Jan van Bijlert. The young man with a half-naked back, who closes the composition on the right, is indirectly derived from the musician seen in Caravaggio's Concert at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The man in the background makes a gesture akin to "la fica", an obscene, insulting gesture frequently found in Caravaggesque painting of this period, whether in France (Vouet, Vignon), Italy or the Netherlands, testifying to the light-hearted, provocative nature of these paintings. Sold by appointment only at Cabinet Turquin 69 rue St Anne 75002 Paris. Provenance | Collection toulonnaise Expert | Cabinet Turquin