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Lot Essay
Jan de Bray was one of the foremost exponents of Dutch classicism, a style which fused naturalism with the ideals of beauty from antiquity. The son of the painter Salomon de Bray, Jan spent virtually his whole career in Haarlem. After training with his father, Jan established himself as portrait painter in 1650, a profession he continued for the following forty years. In addition to formal portraiture, de Bray also painted portraits of his family and friends and portrayed them, as well as fellow citizens, in the guise of figures from history.
A girl holding a pigeon and a boy gesturing (sold Christie's, London, 4 July 1997, lot 15, £172,000 = $285,287), signed and dated 1652, reveals de Bray's smooth brushwork and subtle gradations of light and shade, creating an idealised image of a young girl. These characteristics are consistent with the classical tradition in mid-century Haarlem and are also apparent in the present composition. In addition, both compositions reveal an informal pose and directness of gaze that exudes naturalness, typical of de Bray's classicism of the time.
De Bray's painting of the Banquet of Antony and Cleopatra in the Currier Museum of Art, New Hampshire, is a fine example of his portrait historié (historicized portrait) where contemporary individuals are portrayed in the guise of figures from history. De Bray depicted his own parents in the main roles, himself as the soldier on the left, his brother Dirck as the figure to the right of Cleopatra, the female attendant next to Dirck is said to be de Bray's first wife Maria van Hees and the five children, presumably younger brothers and sisters occupy the foreground. The likenesses of these children has given rise to the suggestion that the present sitter may be one of the children depicted or at least related to the de Bray family.
We are grateful to Dr. Peter C. Sutton for suggesting the attribution to Jan de Bray after inspecting the original (verbal communication, 6 April 2005).
A girl holding a pigeon and a boy gesturing (sold Christie's, London, 4 July 1997, lot 15, £172,000 = $285,287), signed and dated 1652, reveals de Bray's smooth brushwork and subtle gradations of light and shade, creating an idealised image of a young girl. These characteristics are consistent with the classical tradition in mid-century Haarlem and are also apparent in the present composition. In addition, both compositions reveal an informal pose and directness of gaze that exudes naturalness, typical of de Bray's classicism of the time.
De Bray's painting of the Banquet of Antony and Cleopatra in the Currier Museum of Art, New Hampshire, is a fine example of his portrait historié (historicized portrait) where contemporary individuals are portrayed in the guise of figures from history. De Bray depicted his own parents in the main roles, himself as the soldier on the left, his brother Dirck as the figure to the right of Cleopatra, the female attendant next to Dirck is said to be de Bray's first wife Maria van Hees and the five children, presumably younger brothers and sisters occupy the foreground. The likenesses of these children has given rise to the suggestion that the present sitter may be one of the children depicted or at least related to the de Bray family.
We are grateful to Dr. Peter C. Sutton for suggesting the attribution to Jan de Bray after inspecting the original (verbal communication, 6 April 2005).