Lot Essay
Notable pentimenti are visible in the top left hand corner of the present picture where red paint shows through the sky, indicating that the artist perhaps originally intended the red curtain to cover all of the background area. The subject remains enigmatic, although a version of this composition, in which the figures hold the drapery instead of a mirror and a feather fan replaces the telescope was offered at Christie's East, March 20, 1981, lot 135 entitled 'A Pair of Lovers' as School of Abraham Janssens. The present composition was probably painted while the artist was in Antwerp, and reflects the influence of Sir Peter Paul Rubens, who returned to that city in 1608.