Abraham van Diepenbeck, 1596 s‘Hertogenbosch –... Lot n° 413

ELEGANT CAVALIER COURTS A YOUNG LADY Oil on canvas. Doubled. 115 x 160 cm. Lower right corner probably inv. no. In gilded frame. In a park in front of a stone fountain with a figure, a seated young woman in an elegant, shiny robe with a plunging neckline and a large hat with feathers. She has a large mandolin lying upside down on her lap and is receiving a gentleman with her right hand outstretched. Wearing red and black clothing and top boots, he holds his hat down and greets her with a slight bow. Behind the lady, a sheep and a billy goat can also be seen looking attentively out of the picture. On the left, the viewer's gaze is drawn to a wide landscape under a gray, cloudy sky. There are several erotic allusions in the picture. Painting in which the two main figures are particularly emphasized by their colourful and valuable clothing. According to older sources (Debie), the painter does not appear to have taken up painting until his later years, around 1630, and according to earlier sources he was a pupil of Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), although this could not be confirmed later. In any case, he was strongly influenced by Rubens' style. (1400895) (18)