"diana And Cupid" By Frans Bartolomaeus Douven (1788 - After 1826)

This old master painting was purchased by the last owner at the Sothebys auction "Of Royal and Noble Descent" (Amsterdam, 16-17 October 2001, lot no. 1186) as a work of the school of Adrien van der Werff in the style of his lost work (see B.Gaehtgens, Adriaen van der Werff, 1987, p.261, cat.No.35a) and has been attributed on account of the style and the original inscription on the back of the canvas to the pupil of A.van der Werff Frans Bartholomäus Douven de Jonge (1688 Düsseldorf - after 1725). Douven was the son of the court portraitist of the prince parish priest Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz Johann Frans Douven and received his training from Adriaen van der Werff, at that time one of the famous painters of Düsseldorf. Douven treated these impressions of this formative period by the important late Dutch Klassicist Eeuw also in his later historical paintings, which belonged to the most popular, how prices indicate contemporary auctions. According to Houbraken, he was promoted by the parish prince Johann Wilhelm and received a place as court painter from the parish prince and archbishop of Cologne, Clemens August von Bayern. Provenance: "De la descent royale", auction by Sothebys, Amsterdam, October 16-17, 2001, lot. No. 1186)

Literature: The Painter's Lexicon by Thieme/Becker.
Inscription: original inscription in German on the back of the canvas: "B.Franz Douven, geb. (né) 1688", on the reverse of the frame - some labels with the inventory numbers of a domain of the castle.
Technique: oil on canvas. Old golden frame.
Measurements: unframed 33.5 x 46 cm, framed 50 x 63 cm.
Condition: very good.