Godefridus Schalcken

This previously unrecorded painting is an interesting addition to the œuvre of Godefridus Schalcken. It most probably dates to the second half of the 1690s, late in Schalcken's career, when he had fully developed his depictions of candlelit scenes, and produced works, such as this one, on a larger scale. The painting may well have been executed in England or for an English patron – Schalcken moved to London in 1692, and though back in The Netherlands by 1696, kept in contact with a number of his clients.

In this painting Schalcken converts the popular mythological subject of 'Venus Asleep, with a Satyr (or Putto)' into a contemporary setting, affording the opportunity to render the rich fabrics of the woman's vestments under the illumination of the burning candle. Indeed, Schalcken clearly favoured the lady's blue embossed robe, which also appears in his Children with a bladder of 1682, today in the Staatliches Museum, Schwerin.¹

We are grateful to Professor Wayne Franits, Guido Jansen, Dr Eddy Schavemaker, and Dr Anja Sevcik for endorsing the attribution to Schalcken on the basis of a digital image.

¹ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Godefridus_Schalcken_-_Meisje_en_jongen_die_een_varkensblaas_opblazen_-_G_2340_-_Staatliches_Museum_Schwerin.jpg