Wednesday 24 October 2018

"Dutch" painting seems to be by a follower of Jacob De Wet the Elder

Henry's, from Germany, sells on 27 October 2018 a "Dutch artist, ca. 1680" Moses striking the rock, estimated at 1900 Euro.

The painting may be the work of Jacob De Wet the Elder (ca. 1610 - ca. 1680), a painter of limited skill (good as a composer, poor in painting figures) who is best remembered as the teacher of some more important artists, including Paulus Potter and Job Berckheyde.


One of the best works by him is another depiction of Moses striking water from the rock, now kept in the National Museum of Warsaw. It shares many elements with the work for sale, from the basic composition to the drinking woman in the bottom middle, who has a nearly identical kneeling posture in the same position on the work. Some other figures and elements are also rather similar.

Clearly the work for sale is not a copy of the De Wet from Warschau, but the work seems to come from the same school or studio. It is probably not good enough to be by De Wet, and will struggle to fetch the asking price.

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