(Harlingen 1608/09–1651 Amsterdam)
The Violinist – Allegory of Hearing,
oil on panel, 70.5 x 60 cm, framed

The present painting is accompanied by a report by Peter van den Brink (January 2014).

The composition of this painting, which reappeared on the German art market in 2013, had previously only been known from two further versions, one of which was sold in Paris (Drouot) in 2012, while the other is conserved in the Szépmüveszéti Muzéum in Budapest. The latter had always been regarded as a self-portrait of Jacob Backer and seems to be a workshop replica. The Violinist formed part of a series devoted to the Five Senses, which also included The Drinker and Old Man with a Broken Mirror (both preserved in the Berlin Picture Gallery). Peter van den Brink writes: ‘This recently discovered Violinist, whose examination was facilitated by recent cleaning, very probably belongs to the same series from 1633 as the Old Man and the Drinker and was doubtlessly painted by Backer himself. In terms of style, the painting is particularly close to the Drinker. The application of the paint is identical: Backer succeeded in magically rendering the volumes and textures of the draperies and the highlights in the eyes, nose, and even teeth with long, fluid brushstrokes. This lends both of these young men a vivacity that is completely absent in the Budapest Violinist.’ According to Van den Brink, two series existed: the one painted in 1633 and another dating from a slightly later period. The two missing allegories depicting the senses of smell and touch are unknown. Possible copies of the lost originals are in the Harry J. Moore Collection, New York, and in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon.