Johann König

Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Gentleman'), London, Sotheby's, 8 December 2005, lot 268 (as Johann König and attributed to Cornelis van Poelenburch);

Where acquired by the present owner.

Best known for his small-scale cabinet paintings, this finely painted work on copper is an exquisite of example Johann König’s style, characterized by saturated colouring, meticulous attention to detail, and a luminous quality, which underline his training as a miniaturist. Little is known of König’s early career as an artist. He is documented by at least 1610 in Rome, where he came under the influence of Adam Elsheimer (1578–1610) and Paul Bril (1554–1626). Although the last two digits of the date have yet to be clearly read, the present copper likely dates to about 1614, the year he settled back in Augsburg, where in 1622 he became a master in the painters' guild and the following year was elected to the Greater Council of the city.

This work appears to be a unique example of a collaboration between König and another artist, possibly Cornelis van Poelenburch (1594–1667) or an artist rooted in Poelenburch's style. The figures are too far removed from König's own staffage for them to be an exercise by him in Poelenburch's manner. How this collaboration occurred remains a mystery, one possible explanation being that Poelenburch passed through Augsburg on his return to Utrecht from Rome in 1625. Another possibility, as was noted by Alan Chong when this work was sold in 2005 (see Provenance), is that this is an instance of a picture being sent to Poelenburch for staffage to be added.