Lot 66: Ription David Colyns (Rotterdam 1582 - ca. 1668

Ription David Colyns (Rotterdam 1582 - ca. 1668 Amsterdam) Orpheus amidst the Animals, oil on panel, 32.5 x 48 cm, framed, (Wo) We are grateful to Willem van de Watering for identifying the artist (a certificate is available). Willem van de Watering writes: "The known oeuvre of Colyns is not very extensive and comprises history paintings with religious, mythological, and profane figural staffage, almost exclusively incorporated into landscape settings. Examples featuring trees with similar foliage are the Mocking of Elijah and its pendant, the Ascension of Eljiah, both signed and dated 1627 (preserved at the Museum Catharijneconvent in Utrecht and at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam respectively). David Colyns was a painter of landscapes animated by crowded Biblical and mythological scenes. While the figures reveal an Italian influence, the landscapes are generously composed and seem to be autonomous creations. In 1607 he seems to have been living in Amsterdam, where he was to become chairman of the local g ild. Around 1621 he was the drawing teacher of Salomon de Koninck. Famous works by that artist are preserved at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Prado in Madrid.