Jacob Toorenvliet

Anonymous sale, Christie's, London, 28 October 1988, lot 70.

Born in Leiden, Jacob Toorenvliet initially studied with his father and Frans Mieris the Elder before joining Gerrit Dou, who taught him the delicate and precise technique of the fijnschilders. He travelled through Italy to Vienna, returning to his hometown in 1679, where he was admitted to the Guild of St Luke in 1686.

Toorenvliet has here painted a genre scene, with a woman holding out a letter and reprimanding the man standing further back. Reflecting his training and the practice of the fijnschilders, the artist has painted this composition with a precise brushstroke, finely rendering the subject’s details. The theme probably illustrates a proverb, or a scene taken from a play or mime. The dramatic aspect of the scene is accentuated by the strong contrast between the bright light illuminating the protagonists and the background, which is plunged into darkness.