Lot no. 16
MATHIESEN Thomas known as de VROME (1610-1674)
Lot and his family leaving Sodom, led by angels
Oil on oak panel, one board, not parqueted, signed lower right "MATH...".
32.5 x 61 cm
Provenance :
Frieda Hinze Gallery, Berlin, 1972
Our painting is listed in the RKD (Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie) under permalink no. 259812. This site tells us that the attribution was made by Horst Gerson, a Rembrandt specialist, when this panel was on the Berlin art market in 1972 (Frieda Hinze gallery).
The artist, who may have been born in Husum, Denmark, trained in Antwerp. His style brought him into close contact with Rembrane artists such as Ferdinand Bol and Karel van Mander III. Like the latter, Thomas Mathiesen worked for the court of Christian IV of Denmark. He was later documented in Rome in the brotherhood of the Bentvueghels with the nickname "De Vrome", meaning the pious one (Houbraken, 1719-1721). The Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen has several paintings by him, including his masterpiece, Portrait of a Woman in a Black Veil.