Jan Harmensz. van Bylert, um 1597 Utrecht – 1671... Lot n° 228

THE LOUD PLAYER Oil on canvas. 105 x 80 cm. The painter had specialized in half portraits, especially of musicians or philosophers, which are represented in several public collections, such as the well-known painting of a concert with lute and cello players. The subject here also shows a youth in three-quarters portrait to the right, seated at a lute, his half-open mouth suggesting that he is accompanying himself singing. Over his short curly black hair is a beret with a large white ostrich feather, a reminiscence also of Caravaggio's work, as is the depiction of the young musician with his shoulder bare. The dominant colour is the strong red in the cloak, which stands as a colourful antithesis to the light grey-blue of the background. Caravaggio's influence is also unmistakable in the present painting. Note: The artist was the son of a glass painter and, according to the early artist biographer Joachim von Sandrart the Elder (1606-1688), a pupil of Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651) before his study trips took him to France and then Italy. He probably remained in Rome until 1624, where he was in contact with the Dutch painters Jan Gerritsz van Bronchorst (1603-1661) or Cornelis van Poelenburgh (1586-1667). From the mid-1620s he was strongly influenced by Michelangelo Merisi il Caravaggio (1570/71-1610) and Guido Reni (1575-1642), as well as by Gerrit van Honthorst (1590-1656). He is regarded as one of the leading, if not the leading, representative of the Utrecht Caravaggists. Literature: Paul Huys, Jan van Bijlert, 1998, p. 139 no. 105, pl. 46, circa 1625-1635. (12901421) (11) Jan Harmensz. van Bylert, ca. 1597 Utrecht - 1671 ibid. LUTE PLAYEROil on canvas. 105 x 80 cm. Literature: Paul Huys, Jan van Bijlert, 1998, p. 139 no. 105, pl. 46, circa 1625-1635.