The subject might be taken from the Thebais IV:406-645 by the Roman writer of the first century Publius Papinius Statius, where Tiresias and Manto are trying to conjure the Dead in the underworld to find the deceased Theban King Laios. A Dutch translation of this little-known book appeared in 1646 by Lambert van den Bos. The present lot is therefore possibly to be regarded as the companion picture to the scene of the Raising of the Dead by Tiresias, as is the case in the pendant pictures in the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, Brunswick, inv.no. 1040. For more information on this artist see J.W. Salomonson, Dominicus van Wijnen, ein interessanter "Einzelgänger" unter die niederländischen Malern des späten 17. Jahrhunderts, Niederdeutsche Beiträge zur Kunstgeschichte, XXIV, 1985, pp. 105/07

See illustration