A new Samuel van Hoogstraten for Dordrecht

1. Samuel Van Hoogstraten (1627-1678)
Young Man Reading in a Renaissance Palace, c. 1662-1667
Oil on canvas - 238 x 173 cm
Dordrecht, Dordrechts Museum
Photo: Bob Strik

See the image in its page

11/7/23 - Acquisition - Dordrechts Museum - Perspectiefstuk: it is difficult to translate into English the Dutch word for this splendid perspective view (ill. 1) painted by Samuel van Hoogstraten, which we had already noticed last year when the painting was offered at Christie’s in Paris (see news item of 29/6/22). It had not been missed by those in charge of the museum in Dordrecht, the artist’s home town, who had been watching for such a composition to appear on the art market for years. Sold for €1,434,000 on 30 June 2022, a sum that fell short of the low estimate but was nonetheless substantial, this beautiful painting benefited from a precious cross-financing system that the Netherlands seems to have a secret for: it was then bought from French & Company thanks to the support of various patrons [1], and has just been hung in the heart of the museum’s collections in parallel with the official announcement. Further proof of the artistic nationalism that our Dutch neighbours know how to display, this operation has enabled a painting whose recent history is American to be definitively repatriated to Europe, since in the 20th century it belonged to the convent of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary in Methuen, Massachusetts. Subsequently acquired by a private collection and then by French & Company in New York in 1987, the painting was bought by fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy (1927-2018), who hung it in his superb Paris mansion.

2. View of the Quai d’Orsay flat decorated by Alberto Pinto
Photo: Christie’s

See the image in its page

Sold at Christie’s in Monaco in December 1993, this large painting took pride of place among impressive pieces of Boulle furniture in a flat on the Quai d’Orsay decorated by Alberto Pinto,…