Periandros removed from antiquariaat Rare Fish Books
An old painting from the hand of Johannes Moreelse has been removed from antiquariaat Rare Fish Books and is offered for sale.

Description
A fantasy portrait of Periandros, oil on canvas (115 x 90,8 cm) by Moreelse, Johannes (Utrecht, after 1602 - 1634), painted before 1634. The painting is a so-called tronie, depicting the Greek tyrant Periandros - ruling Corinth from 627 to 585 BC. The tyrant is painted with a turban, a coronet, a hermine mantle, a gold scepter and a chain. His right hand holds an open book and his left hand points to the left page with the phrase: 'Milete to pan' or 'Practice makes perfect'. Moreelse's virtuosity is abundantly present not in the least because the observer is drawn so close to the life-size subject. We expect to hear Periandros at any moment while simultaneously moving his forefinger from the left to the right. There is a clear relationship between the style in which the present Greek tyrant is painted and that of a pendant by Johannes Moreelse, Democritus, in the Centraal Museum in Utrecht. For instance, the manner in which the highlightened lines on the left hand of Periandros are rendered returns in the fine paint stroke on the right hand in Democritus. The masterful handling of colours is apparent in this luminous painting of Periandros: there is a delicate balance of silvery tinges and shades of red and brown. At present seven signed or monogrammed works by the hand of Johannes Moreelse are known. An additional group of five unsigned works has been assigned to him. Prof. W, Sumowski, J. de Meyere former custodian of the Centraal Museum and W.J. Hoogsteder were among the first to assign the present painting to Johan Moreelse, the son of Paulus Moreelse (1571-1638). Because no dated works by Johannes Moreelse are known, no one has dared to establish a chronology for his oeuvre. Selected reference and description of the painting: J.W. Hoogsteder "At home with the collector", The Hoogsteder Journal, 1999, 6, p. 28-29. Provenance: Auction Het Gooi, Hilversum 24 february 1943, lot 234, assigned to G. Honthorst; Collection W.H. Meijer, Hilversum; Kunsthandel Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder, s'Gravenhage; Collection Antiquariaat Rare Fish Books, Amsterdam since 1998.

€ 35000.00