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Lot Essay
The artist has yet to be identified; E. Fucikovó (verbal communication, judging from a transparency) has suggested a tentative attribution to Joos van Winghe (1542-1603) on the basis of a comparison with Van Winghe's drawing of a Banquet at Night formerly in the Kupferstichkabinett, Dresden (see G. Poensgen, 'Das Werk des Jodocus a Winghe', Pantheon, XXVIII, 1970, p. 505, fig. 4). Van Winghe, a native of Brussels, settled in Frankfurt in 1587, but seems to have had close contacts with the Imperial Court at Prague.
None of the sitters at the banquet has been identified, although they seem similar to the Imperial courtiers painted, for instance, by Hans von Aachen. The earliest extant group portrait set in the context of a banquet seems to be that by Cornelis Teunissen of 1533 in the Amsterdam Historical Museum (see the catalogue of the exhibition, Stilleben in Europa, Munster and Baden Baden, 1979-80, p. 403, illustrated). Probably slightly earlier than the present work is Lucas van Valkenborch's banquet of circa 1590, for which see A. Wied, Lucas und Marten van Valkenborch, 1990, no. 95.
None of the sitters at the banquet has been identified, although they seem similar to the Imperial courtiers painted, for instance, by Hans von Aachen. The earliest extant group portrait set in the context of a banquet seems to be that by Cornelis Teunissen of 1533 in the Amsterdam Historical Museum (see the catalogue of the exhibition, Stilleben in Europa, Munster and Baden Baden, 1979-80, p. 403, illustrated). Probably slightly earlier than the present work is Lucas van Valkenborch's banquet of circa 1590, for which see A. Wied, Lucas und Marten van Valkenborch, 1990, no. 95.