Portrait of a girl as an allegory of painting, Mattheus Terwesten (The Hague, 1670 – 1757)

Mattheus Terwesten (The Hague, 1670 – 1757)

Portrait of a girl with palette and brushes, as an allegory of the art of painting

Oil on canvas (160 x 91 cm. – In frame 178 x 107 cm.)

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This splendid painting, of notable scenographic impact, shows us a fascinating female figure portrayed in full length and life size, a young girl easily identifiable as the allegory of the Art of Painting.

A bunch of brushes that he holds in his hands and his palette are the symbols that allude to his role as the personification of the noble pictorial art, together with the large canvas at his side.

The fascinating woman, who wears a dress whose play of transparencies allows a glimpse of her breasts, appears accomplished in her delicate femininity but at the same time solid and monumental.

Her gaze is lost, turned towards the observer, and the features of her face are enhanced by the light which softly highlights her delicate complexion, giving her, together with the intense red drapery that surrounds her body, an air of suspended and seductive charm .

The analysis of the canvas allows us to attribute it to the hand of Mattheus Terwesten (The Hague 1670 – 1757), a painter of Flemish origins but who, thanks to his trip to Italy, between Rome (from 1675 to 1677) and Venice, developed the characters highlights of his painting by studying the works of Veronese and Tintoretto.

The composition is indebted to Venetian painting, both for the theme treated (Titian and Veronese repeatedly depicted female figures of an allegorical nature) and for the style.

His compositional clarity, full of lightness and grace, combined with the attention to the light and the luminous chromatic elegance that invests the figure, are in fact elements that particularly characterize his youthful activity, and which we find in our portrait.

We can make convincing comparisons with some of Terwesten's works:
– Mattheus Terwesten, Allegory of Freedom, dated 1701, Rijksmuseum https://rkd.nl/images/284250

– Mattheus Terwesten, Allegory of Peace, Koninklijk Kabinet van Schilderijen Mauritshuis https://rkd.nl/images/4021
– Mattheus Terwesten, Allegory of Peace, Private collection https://rkd.nl/images/103272
– Mattheus Terwesten, Allegory of Peace, Museum Vlaardingen, https://rkd.nl/images/102139
– Augustinus und Mattheus Terwesten, Dido auf dem Thron mit Dienerschaft, Museum de Fundatie https://www.museumdefundatie.nl/en/18th-century-terwestens-back-at-kasteel-het-nijenhuis/
– Mattheus Terwesten, Allegorical scene depicting peace and prosperity, 1742 Foundation Stichting Snouck van Loosen https://rkd.nl/images/59770

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a pleasant golden frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.

We take care of and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.
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