(Rotterdam circa 1603–1637)
A church interior with elegant figures,
oil on panel, 73 x 99 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, Vienna

We are grateful to Ellis Dullaart from the RKD, The Hague, for confirming the attribution to Jan van der Vucht on the basis of a photograph.

We are also grateful to Fred G. Meijer for independently confirming the attribution of the present painting on the basis of a photograph.

The present painting closely relates to an almost identical composition by Van der Vucht with similar measurements (73.5 x 106.5 cm) that was offered in these rooms, 21 October 2014, lot 60. Meijer proposes that the version auctioned in 2014 is most probably a good period copy of the present painting, which is also in a much better state of preservation (private communication, February 2023).

Despite a short career that ended with his death by his mid-30s, the enthralling paintings left behind by Jan van der Vucht provide an important contribution to the genre of architectural visions in the art of the Dutch golden age. As is evident in the present painting, his expansive and refined interiors represent an ideal world of classical orders with an intense, bright, and dreamlike atmosphere.

Born in Rotterdam around 1603, Jan van der Vucht’s life coincided with one of the most dynamic periods in Dutch art. He was a pupil of Bartholomeus van Bassen (1590–1652) and shared artistic similarities with painters like Hendrik van Steenwijk II (1580–1649) and others who specialised in interiors, especially of churches. Furthermore, the compositions of Hans Vredeman de Vries (1527–1609) were another major inspiration that also helped Vucht in his understanding of space and perspective. Indeed, Van der Vucht effortlessly mixed inspirations from existing buildings, architectural engravings and pattern books, and his own imagination.