Granida and Daifilo

Details

CHRISTIAEN VAN COUWENBERGH (DELFT 1604-1667 COLOGNE)
Granida and Daifilo
oil on canvas
46 x 54 ½ in. (117 cm x 138.5 cm.)

Provenance

Dr E.I. Schapiro, Paris, by 1955 [The Property of the late Dr. E.I. Schapiro, sold by the executors]; (†), Christie's, London, 28 May 1982, lot 44.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, Amsterdam, 12 June 1990, lot 288, when acquired by the present owner.

Literature

C. Brière-Misme, 'De nouveau le maître C.B. (Christiaen van Couwenbergh)', La Revue des Arts, V, p. 233, fig. 2, where the subject is identified as Angelica and Medoro.
V. Beyer, 'Un tableau de Christian van Couwenbergh', La Revue du Louvre et des Musées de France, XXII, 1972, pp. 297-300.
J. Briels, Peintres Flamands en Hollande au début du Siècle d'Or, 1585-1630, Antwerp, 1987, p. 80, fig. 79.
J. Briels, Peintres Flamands au berceau du Siècle d'Or hollandais, 1585-1630, Antwerp, 1997, p. 77, fig. 99.
W.C. Maier-Preusker, Christiaen van Couwenbergh (1604-1667), Oeuvre und Wandlungen eines Holländischen Caravaggisten, Cologne, 1991, pp. 200, 202 and 214, no. A23, fig. 45, where the subject is identified as Venus and Adonis.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Lucy Speelman Junior Specialist, Head of Part II

lspeelman@christies.com +44 207 752 3074

Lot Essay

The subject of this painting derives from an acclaimed pastoral play, Granida, published in 1615 by the prolific Dutch playwright P.C. Hooft. The story relays how Granida, the daughter of the King of Persia, comes upon Daifilo, a shepherd, and Dorelia, a shepherdess, asking where she can find water to quench her thirst. The two fall in love and the performance climaxes in the couple's marriage. The subject was popular among a broad spectrum of artists, including Jacob Backer, Nicolaes Berchem, Gerrit van Honthorst, and Dirck van Baburen. The work of these last two artists proved particularly impactful on Couwenbergh, who encountered their paintings during a stay in Utrecht from 1622-24.

More from Old Masters Part II: Paintings, Sculpture, Drawings and Watercolours

View All