Old Master Paintings and Portrait Miniatures
Old Master Paintings and Portrait Miniatures
The Property of a Gentleman
Follower of Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
An old woman with a purse and coins at a table: Allegory of Avarice
Lot Closed
April 28, 01:56 PM GMT
Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
The Property of a Gentleman
Follower of Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn
An old woman with a purse and coins at a table: Allegory of Avarice
oil on canvas
unframed: 51 x 48.3 cm.; 20⅛ x 19 in.
framed: 67.5 x 61.7 cm.; 26⅝ x 24¼ in.
This painting would appear to be by an imitator of Rembrandt's early work. In design it comes close to the painting in the Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Oldenburg (inv. no. 15.650), which is attributed to Cornelis Bisschop.1
Rembrandt and his followers popularised depictions of old men and women in various guises, including as allegories of avarice or greed, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. In the 17th century avarice was particularly associated with old age as a passion that was believed to increase as others gradually lessened.