Name: Isaac Luttichuys (London 1616-1673 Amsterdam)
Brand: Portrait of gentleman, three-quarter-length
Price: 20000.00 USD
Availability: SoldOut

Isaac Luttichuys (London 1616-1673 Amsterdam)
Portrait of gentleman, three-quarter-length
oil on canvas
36 x 30 in. (91.5 x 76.2 cm.)

with Leger Galleries, London, New York and Brussels, by 1930, as 'Bartholomeus van der Helst'.
Acquired by the husband of the present owner in the 1960s.

International Studio, XCV, April 1930, p. 94, as 'Bartholomeus van der Helst', illustrated.
B. Ebert, Simon und Isaack Luttichuys: Monographie mit kritischem Werkverzeichnis, Berlin and Munich, 2009, pp. 502, 596, no. Is. A 80, illustrated.

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Lot Essay

This recently rediscovered portrait had long born an attribution to Bartholomeus van der Helst, but Bernd Ebert, who only knew it from an old black-and-white photograph, recognized it as a characteristic work by Isaac Luttichuys and dated it to circa 1655-60 (op. cit.). Like van der Helst, Luttichuys’ fluent rendering of costume materials, particularly evident in his depiction of the intricate lace patterns of the man’s flat collar and cuffs, found a ready market with Amsterdam’s ruling class. Similarly, the subtle sense of movement conveyed through the sitter’s projecting left hand was a device that van der Helst likewise favored in a number of important commissions, including his portraits of Jacob Trip (circa 1655; Amsterdam Museum), Emanuel de Geer (circa 1656; Nationalmuseum, Stockholm) and Joan Huydecoper (circa 1660; Private collection). However, the unusual blue tonality of the sky is a distinctive feature of Luttichuys’ work, as evinced in works such as the Portrait of a man, three-quarter-length (1650; Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels) and the Portrait of a 28-year-old woman, three-quarter-length (circa 1660-65; Musée Historique, Château, Gourdon).