Francisco López Caro, 1600–1661, Attributed To Pouleuse

Francisco López Caro,

1600–1661, attributed to

POULEUSE
Oil on canvas. Stretched on a frame.

103 x 163 cm.

In a decorative frame.
Good condition.

Submitted to Hampel on April 2, 2020, lot 371, catalog estimate: €15,000 / €20,000.

Interior view of a room or shop, where an elderly woman and a boy stand behind a wooden counter. Various slaughtered birds are displayed on the table, and other poultry are suspended from a long perch in the background. The elderly woman, wearing a red dress with a white collar and a darker bodice, holds a slaughtered duck in her left hand, points to it with the finger of her right hand, and gazes into the distance, her brow slightly furrowed and her eyes dark. Next to her stands a boy in a dress with brown hair, holding a glass of wine in his right hand and pointing with his left at a dish on the table. On the table are two keys, a loaf of bread, cheese, and a brightly colored milk jug. In the background, in the upper left, a wooden shelf is secured by four nails. A large piece of red and white meat hangs from it, and two long brown paintbrushes are hung on another nail. The painting consists mainly of shades of beige and brown, with particularly pronounced chiaroscuro. The woman’s red clothing and the large piece of meat are particularly eye-catching. Minor retouching.

Notes:

The small white milk jug and a similar depiction of a boy also appear in a painting by the same artist titled “Pícaro de cocina” (Picnic in the Kitchen), housed at the Prado Museum in Madrid.