Attributed to Willem van der Vliet (Delft, 1583/84... Lot n° 18

Attributed to Willem van der Vliet (Delft, 1583/84 - 1642) "Portrait of a lady and portrait of a gentleman" Pair of oil paintings on panel. Dated in 1635. Cradled. 121 x 89 cm each. Both carry the inscription: "AETATIS 36" indicating the age of those portrayed. On the back are notarial documents regarding the distribution of inheritance. The painter to whom we attribute the pair of portraits, Willem van der Vliet, a disciple of Michel van Miereveld, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, engraver and cloth buyer who joined the Delft painters' guild in 1615, becoming its director in 1633, together with Jacob Vosmaer. Walter Liedtke, Curator of the Department of European Painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, explains in the extensive catalogue "Vermeer and the Delft School" (published by the MET) that contrary to what had been assumed, van der Vliet “was something more than a mere follower of Van Miereveld”, a fact reaffirmed, he asserts, if his history and genre paintings are examined, as they have a more Caravaggist style. In fact, Michiel C. Plomp, Associate Curator of the Department of Drawings and Engravings of the same museum, states in the same publication that van der Vliet “began his career as a history painter working in the manner of Caravaggio [and] maintained himself as a fairly independent portrait painter in the style of Van Miereveld (rare in Delft).” His technique, Plomp continues, "is less linear, and those portrayed tend to have a kind and smiling expression," as is the case in our pair of portraits. The few known paintings by the artist date from between 1624 and 1640. Highlights among them include, “An allegory” (cat. no. 85 of the cited publication), a canvas signed and dated 1627 from a private collection; a pair of portraits very similar to these ones, signed and dated 1626 and currently in an unknown location (Figs. 228a and b of the cited publication); as well as “Portrait of Suitbertus Purmerent” (1631), kept at the National Gallery in London (inv. NG1168). In addition, his work can be seen at the Louvre in Paris, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the National Trust for Scotland's Brodie Castle, as well as in private collections. Reference bibliography: -Liedtke, Walter; Plomp, Michael C.; and Ruger, Axel. (2001). "Vermeer and the Delft School". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. - van der Vliet, William (1631). “Portrait of Suitbertus Purmerent” [Oil on panel]. The National Gallery. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/willem-van-der-vliet-portrait-of-suitbertus-purmerent