Simon de Vos, 1603 Antwerp - 1676 ibid.

LUTE PLAYER WITH ADMIRER
Oil on copper plate, backed on wood.
28.5 x 35.4 cm.
In decorative frame with gold-colored painting.

Enclosed is a copy of an expertise by Dr. Klaus Ertz, Lingen, dated 22 January 2022.

A young woman in an elegant long red dress with a wide neckline, curly hair and pearl earrings sits in an interior covered by a golden-brown curtain. She holds a large mandolin in her long, slender hands and an open music book in her lap. Next to her is a gentleman who is making advances and embracing her. To the right is a table lavishly laid with food, behind which a servant is watching the couple with interest. Playing cards are scattered on the floor and a small dog is sitting. In the background on the left, an inn can be seen through a doorway, in front of which the landlady is chasing away a man with a broom. The painting picks up on one of the artist's favorite motifs: that of cheerful parties playing music, which shows a clear affinity with the widespread Dutch genre of this theme. According to Dr. Ertz, the pointed noses and somewhat stronger lower jaws stand out in the faces of the sitters in the artist's works, as do the long-limbed hands, as in the present painting. Numerous allusions can also be found in the painting, such as the elegant lady looking towards the door at the landlady, as if considering whether she should not also reject the advances of the gentleman. Dr. Ertz places the work in the 1640s in Antwerp.
(14111220) (18)