An analysis of the composition and style of this interesting portrait of a violin player allows us to attribute its execution to the workshop of the Flemish painter Hendrick ter Brugghen (The Hague 1588 - Utrecht 1629), illustrating a subject typical of the figurative repertoire devised and disseminated by the great master.

A highly talented Dutch painter, Hendrick ter Brugghen was a leading member - together with Dirck van Baburen and Gerrit van Honthorst - of the 'Utrecht Caravaggists', a group of artists who moved from the Dutch city to Rome in the early 17th century where they were fascinated by Caravaggio's painting. They were deeply marked by the great master's innovation and, on their return to their homeland, introduced the same realism in their choice of subjects and intense chiaroscuro into their work.

Our work is an excellent illustration of this, with a well-dressed gentleman delighting in playing a violin, caught in a sneering expression and an open-mouthed laugh, as he scrutinises the viewer directly.

The musician theme enjoyed great popularity from the early 1720s onwards, and these authors were the first to import this theme, already beloved of Italian art, to Northern Europe.

On his return to Utrecht, he moved away from purely religious subjects to concentrate on allegories and genre scenes, especially those with concerts and single musical figures, characterised as in our case by the vigorous use of the chiaroscuro technique, as well as the realism of the figures, and emotionally charged characters.

The close, almost life-size composition lends the work realism and immediacy, further enlivened by dramatic lighting effects that emphasise the musician's ruddy complexion.

Wearing a broad hat adorned with an extravagant ostrich feather, the cheerful violinist in this painting is intent on playing his instrument with skill. The costume is certainly not 17th century street dress, but rather the theatrical 'Burgundian' style adopted by Caravaggio. However, by isolating the figure against a neutral background and removing it from the broader context that Caravaggio would have provided, Ter Brugghen transforms his violinist into an emblem of pure, uninhibited and contagious gaiety.

We find this type of subject matter in numerous of his compositions, thanks to which the artist acquired great fame and collector's fortune, considered to be his speciality, in which the highly realistic (at times almost caricatured) definition of the characters is accompanied by an iconography of great character.

Here we mention, for example, the Lute Player from the National Gallery (https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/hendrick-ter-brugghen-a-man-playing-a-lute), the Violin Player with Glass from the Royal Collection Trust (https://www.rct.uk/collection/405531/a-laughing-bravo-with-a-bass-viol-and-a-glass), and also the Violin Player from the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Kassel (Germany) (http://catalogo.fondazionezeri.unibo.it/scheda/opera/100095/Ter%20Brugghen%20Hendrick%20Jansz%2C%20s...)

Below are some works that have appeared on the antiquarian market:

- Violin Player, Dorotheum Old Master Paintings, 03 May 2023 (https://www.dorotheum.com/en/l/8507536/)

- Lute Player, Chrietie's, 31 Oct 2017 (https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6104616)

- A Young Man Playing the Violin, Christie's, London, 4 June 2014 (https://research.rkd.nl/en/detail/https%3A%2f%2fdata.rkd.nl%2fimages%2f27158)

- The Merry Drinker, c. 1625 (https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hendrick_ter_Brugghen_-_The_Merry_Drinker_-_Google_Art_Project....)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a beautiful frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.

We take care of and organise the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.

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