Brožík Václav 1851–1901

The portrait of Jean de Montfort, copy after Antony van Dyck (1879)

Bohemia, after 1900, black varnished wood (later varnishes),
The present painting with the figure of a Dutch patrician from the 17th century is undisputed and very high quality work of Václav Brožík. One of many Brožík's genre costume figures, in this case painted in the spirit of the popular Dutch mannerism of the time. In the autumn of 1879 Brožík visited the Netherlands to study Flemish and Dutch painting of the 16th and 18th century. century. He was most interested in Dutch monden likenesses or technically virtuosic salon genre scenes from the late 17th century, describing the leisurely moments of the Dutch patriciate in the midst opulent, intimately furnished salons. The minutely conceived figure dressed in black with a typical white sash was probably created early after the painter's return from the Netherlands, and is clearly related to the likenesses Frans Hals. Paintings of this type by the painter's father-in-law Charles Sedelmeyer sold successfully not only in Europe but also in the United States. Similar figures of noblemen can be found in both state and private collections, similar ones were exhibited at the Brožík Prague exhibition in 2003. From the testimonial: PhDr. Nadězda Blažíčková-Horová.