Jan Miense MOLENAER Haarlem, circa 1610 - 1668 The... Lot 19

Jan Miense MOLENAER Haarlem, circa 1610 - 1668 The Violinist Oil on oak panel, one board The violonist, oil on oak panel, by J. M. Molenaer 26.50 x 24 cm (10.43 x 9.45 in.) Comment: Our painting most probably refers to the beginning of Jan Miense Molenaer's career, a period considered to be the most creative and modern in our artist's career. In the pure Dutch tradition of the first half of the 17th century, he gives birth to an instrumentalist on a small oak panel. This representation of the musician in our artist's work is relatively common, but more particularly that of the half-body violinist, of whom we already know two versions with variants-one not located and the other recently released for public sale1 (fig. 1). Our painting is a rediscovery to be added to Molenaer's series of violinists. It evokes precisely the passion that Haarlem had for music at that time, but also the contemporary fascination with the violin, a relatively new instrument in Northern Europe, which instantly became a motif prized by the painters of this school. The model, who seems to have already started playing the first notes judging by the grip of the bow and the positioning of the fingers on the neck, invites the spectator to join in the celebration with a cheerful look and his infectious smile. The detail of the positioning of his right hand on the bow is quite interesting in that it is different from the one depicted in the aforementioned work. Indeed, in our painting, the man grasps it more broadly between three fingers. This so-called "French style" outfit, in opposition to the "Italian style", is then favoured for popular and lively music. We can therefore imagine that our musician is generously rubbing notes on his strings to make the spectators that we are dancing. Our picture shows the direct influence that the illustrious Frans Hals may have had on all the artists in Haarlem. The free and fast touch brings the model to life and ensu