Cornelis Bisschop

With Agnew's, London;

From whom acquired by Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875–1968);

Anonymous sale, Monte Carlo, Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo, 26 September 2020, lot 382;

Where acquired by the present collector.

W. Sumowski, Gemälde der Rembrandt-Schüler, vol. VI, Landau 1983, p. 3691, cat. no. 2189, reproduced p. 3773.

A native of Dordrecht, Cornelis Bisschop studied under Ferdinand Bol, a close associate and pupil of Rembrandt van Rijn. Bisschop's oeuvre encompasses religious and mythological scenes, genre paintings, portraits, and tronies, such as the present work. These reflect the influence of Rembrandt and his students in both subject and style, characterized by a warm palette and rich light effects. Such depictions of figures in the guise of Persian or Ottoman princes, dressed in turbans and exotic costumes, came into vogue during the early-seventeenth century fueled by cultural exchange resulting from the establishment of the Dutch East India Company.