The Fortune Teller – Attributed To Simon De Vos Circa 1640

Oil on canvas. 17th-century Flemish school, attributed to Simon de Vos (1603–1676).
The scene unfolds between dishes simmering in heavy cauldrons and festering game. In the warmth of a kitchen, a fortune teller, a gypsy, takes hold of the hand of an elegant young man in order to uncover the secret of the future in its lines. Time seems suspended, all eyes are focused on the hand, awaiting the palmist's revelations. But are the two individuals bustling behind the gentleman only interested in the verdict of the divination? Could they be searching the gentleman's pockets in search of loot? Simon de Vos composed several genre scenes in this kitchen setting, sometimes reversing its meaning. Thus we retain "La Gypsy", Oil on copper 1639, KMSK Antwerp - "Party of convivial cards", oil on copper 1640, Sothebys sale 26.01.2007 - or "Kitchen interior with a fortune teller", oil on canvas, Dobiaschofsky sale 05.11.2014.
De Vos favors the warmth of dark interiors enveloped in ochres and browns while resorting to a more vibrant chromatic range for the decorative elements or costumes. On the iconographic level, he draws on the repertoire of Pieter Paul Rubens, notably for the importance given to the gestures of the protagonists. The theme of this painting ("The Fortune teller" in English), made fashionable by Caravaggio at the end of the 16th century, seduced many painters such as Georges de la Tour, Valentin de Boulogne or Simon Vouet who painted their own interpretation of the subject. These scenes should be viewed from different perspectives: they have a moralizing connotation and warn against false prophecies and self-serving seduction. It is, in a way, an allegory about deception and naivety.

Our painting is presented in a Dutch frame with an inverted profile in blackened wood.
Dimensions: 64 X 81.5 cm – 81 x 98 cm with the frame
Sold with invoice and expert certificate.

Biography: Simon de Vos (Antwerp 28.10.1603 – Id. 15.10.1676) was admitted as a master at the Academy of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1620. He worked for eight years in the studio of Peter Paul Rubens, whose influence was felt throughout his work, accompanying him on his travels in Europe. Returning to Antwerp at the end of the 1620s, he frequently collaborated with Franz Snyders and Alexandre Adriaenssen. From the 1640s onwards, he focused on large-scale history painting, with a preference for religious subjects, where he combined the contributions of Rubens and van Dyck. He achieved considerable success in his art, selling his paintings to major dealers such as Chrysostoom van Immerseel. The fact that he was mentioned in the iconographic album directed and edited by van Dyck, listing the great Antwerp figures of his time, is a testament to the esteem his peers held for him. Rubens also owned a portrait of him painted by Abraham de Vries.