HST painting by Jan de Bray, Dutch school, depicting a sleeping monk and violinist, 17th century
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Rare oil on canvas painted by Jan de Bray* (1627-1697) depicting a sleeping hermit monk (with features resembling those of Christ) still holding his bow and violin in his hands, his scores and documents at his side or at his feet, in a chiaroscuro landscape of a clearing, merchant's label on the back, from the Dutch Golden Age period, 17th century.
This painting is in good condition. There may be a trace of a signature in the lower left corner (very difficult to see). The later frame is adorned with a plaque identifying the painter. This canvas was relined in the 19th century. The stretcher is annotated Jan de Bray. An old label from the American art dealer Curtis M. Moyer** is on the back. This painting was therefore exhibited by this dealer in his gallery in the late 19th or early 20th century.
Note: minor damage to the frame, signs of wear and tear, see photos.
This painting can undoubtedly be compared to the Dutch school of the 17th century, in particular some works by Rembrandt himself, in its composition of the old man presented in a chiaroscuro or even tenebrism scene (for example "old hermit reading" (after 1630, Louvre Museum) or "Saint Paul sitting at his work table" (circa 1629-1630, Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum).
It should be noted that a painting of the same composition, inspired by this one, was painted by Vien in 1750, the religious theme of the hermit remaining popular in the 18th century.
Jan de Bray was a Dutch Golden Age portrait painter. He learned to paint from his father, Salomon de Bray, a poet and architect. His mother, Anna Westerbaen, was the sister of the painter Jan Westerbaen and the poet Jacob Westerbaen. His brother, Dirck de Bray, also a painter, specializing in still-life paintings, became a monk at the Gaesdonck monastery near Goch. His other brother, Joseph, was also a painter, and his sister, Cornelia, married the painter Jan Lievens. He was influenced by his father, Salomon, and by the painters Bartholomeus van der Helst and Frans Hals. Most of his painting career took place in Haarlem, where he held the position of dean of the Guild of Saint Luke. He had several close calls during his life. Part of his family perished from the plague. His three wives died shortly after marrying Jan. from which a son, Johan Lucas de Bray, was born. In 1689, he declared himself bankrupt as a citizen of Haarlem and was forced to move to Amsterdam, where he remained until his death around April 1, 1697. He was buried on April 4, 1697 in Haarlem.
He painted history paintings that derived from his father's art and especially portraits, isolated or collective, in a noble and delicate style (Regents and Regentesses of the orphanage and leper colony of Haarlem, from 1663 to 1667).
Many of this painter's works are currently held in national museums, for example:
Portrait of his mother, 1657, in the National Gallery, London
Judith and Holofernes, 1659, at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
Portrait of a young woman circa 1665 in the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent
Allegorical family portrait, 1670, in the Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg
Highly rated artist on ArtPrice
American art dealer (died in 1939). In the mid-1890s, he opened his art gallery at 105 Pratt Street in Hartford, Connecticut. He exhibited works by contemporary living artists but also organized exhibitions of Old Masters. Member of St. John's Lodge, AF&AM. (See the Hartford Courant obituary dated October 11, 1939)