Barent Fabritius Midden-Beemster near Hoorn 1624 - 1673 Amsterdam

With Daan Cevat, London, by 1962;
Offered, London, Christie's, 30 November 1973, lot 67;
Offered, London, Christie's, 25 March 1977, lot 13 (all the above as by Carel Fabritius).

Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, on loan, from 1962-1971;
Leiden, Stedelijk Museum de Lakenhal, Rondom Rembrandt, 11 April-16 June 1968, p. 9, no. 10, reproduced.

Bulletin Rijksmuseum, vol. X, 1962, p. 151 (as C. Fabritius);
W. Sumowski, 'Zu einem Gemälde von Carel Fabritius', in: Pantheon, vol. XXVI,  1968, p. 282, under note 2;
C. Brown, Carel Fabritius, Oxford 1981, p. 134, cat. no. R 13, reproduced fig. 71 (as Gerbrand Ban);
W. Sumowski, Gemälde der Rembrandt-Schüler, vol. II, Landau/Pfalz 1983, p. 926, no. 600, reproduced p. 978;
R.E.O. Ekkart, 'Gerbrand Ban', in: Bulletin van het Rijksmuseum, 39 (1991), p. 426-434, specially p. 432, note 19 (as probably B. Fabritius). 

The actual painting is less bright than the catalogue illustration suggests. The thick oval, single panel is bevelled on all sides and is flat and stable. Small paint losses are visible along the edges, probably due to a former frame. Thinness occurs throughout, but mainly in the black hues of the costume. Filled and retouched spots are visible to the naked eye in the upper centre and right background. Tiny spots of paint loss are visible in the hair, white collar and black coat, as well as minor spots of filled and retouched paint loss in the face. The impasto of the face however is still nicely preserved. The paint surface is covered under a slightly yellowed and glossy varnish layer. Examination under UV-light is partially impeded by the varnish layer, but confirms aforesaid retouchings and reveals additional smaller retouchings in the face and in the background. Offered unframed. (JD)
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This small informal study of a man with quite distinctive features, is one of the few portraits Barent Fabritius painted. Following his better-known brother Carel Fabritius, he places the sitter against a bright light background. This in combination with the use of the loose and broad brushwork gives the composition the characteristic chiaroscuro effect for which they, and especially Carel, were known (see for example the portrait of Abraham de Potter in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, inv. no. A1591).

Although the signature is clearly visible, the absence of the initial of the first name has fuelled discussions about the attribution. It was Christopher Brown who was the first to remove the work from Carel Fabritius oeuvre.¹  In 1991, Dr R.E.O. Ekkart in his turn, was the one who suggested a possible attribution to Barent Fabritius.²

According to the Christie's catalogue, x-rays of the panel establish that the panel was first used for the portrait of another sitter in a different pose. The style of the collar, evident in the x-rays, suggests that this first portrait was executed not later than 1640.


1. See Brown, under Literature.
2. See Ekkart, under Literature.