Nicolaes Pietersz. Berchem Haarlem 1620 - 1683 Amsterdam

Anonymous sale, Vienna, Dorotheum, 5 June 2002, lot 93, for 22,000 euros.

This is a rare early work by Berchem, almost certainly painted prior to his trip to Italy between 1642-45 when he was still heavily influenced by his master Nicolaes Moeyaert (to whom Dr. Walther Bernt attributed the painting in 1970). The stylistic affinities with Moeyaert (compare, for example, with Moeyaert's The meeting of Jacob and Rachel in Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, inv. no. A1485) were however soon lost after his departure for Italy in 1642 as can been seen in the 1643 Story of Laban (Munich, Alte Pinakothek) in which the colouring is already much deeper and the use of light much stronger and more 'italianate'.  When the present work last appeared on the art market (see provenance) Marijke C. de Kinkelder dated it to circa 1640, shortly after Berchem's leaving Moeyaert's studio.