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Studio of Michael Sweerts (Brussels 1618-1664 Goa) Three boys with a bowl of cherries image 1
Studio of Michael Sweerts (Brussels 1618-1664 Goa) Three boys with a bowl of cherries image 2
Studio of Michael Sweerts (Brussels 1618-1664 Goa) Three boys with a bowl of cherries image 3
Lot 49

Studio of Michael Sweerts
(Brussels 1618-1664 Goa)
Three boys with a bowl of cherries

3 July 2024, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £5,760 inc. premium

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Studio of Michael Sweerts (Brussels 1618-1664 Goa)

Three boys with a bowl of cherries
oil on canvas
84.4 x 71.3cm (33 1/4 x 28 1/16in).

Footnotes

In a letter dated August 2023, Lindsey Shaw-Miller suggests that this fascinating painting is an early composition in Sweerts's oeuvre, painted soon after settling in Rome around 1640. This would make it a transitional work, displaying obvious Caravaggesque aspects to both the subject matter and the treatment of light and shade. Possibly an unfinished work, Shaw-Miller proposes that Sweerts may be 'experimenting here with compositional form, absorbing influences, acquainting himself with the pigments available to him in Rome and beyond, and, perhaps, exercising a more daring imagery than may have been afforded in conservative Brussels.'

While the composition, subject and treatment are unusual, several aspects might point to the authorship of Michael Sweerts. As Shaw-Miller points out, 'He painted young boys many times, mostly as portraits or tronies... There is tension in the moment, and mischief, the central boy seeming to be caught between the other two, causing a subtle unease;' and Sweerts is known to have 'painted interactions, not always fully comprehensible, between two boys or men.'

Shaw Miller concludes: 'In sum, it is not possible definitively to declare this painting an early work from the oeuvre of Michael Sweerts. It is difficult, however, to think of another painter in whom these particular aspects of form, theme, composition, treatment and technique would be combined.'

We are grateful to Pierluigi Carofano for confirming an attribution to Michael Sweerts (private communication with the vendor, 23 June 2023).

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