English: Christian van Couwenbergh (Delft 1604–1667 Cologne)

Portrait of a man, half-length, in the guise of Bacchus holding a drinking vessel

oil on oak panel

69 x 54.5 cm.; 27⅛ x 21½ in.

This composition, showing a young gentleman in the guise of the mythological god of wine Bacchus, is typical of the Netherlandish Caravaggisti painters during the early-seventeenth century. Although it is not known whether Christiaen van Couwenbergh did visit Italy, as Arnold Houbraken later claimed he had, the painter is recorded to have spent time in the company of Dirck van Baburen (1592/93–1624) and Gerard van Honthorst (1592–1656) in Utrecht during the early 1620s. The handling of the fleshtones in this particular work can be compared to another Bacchus by the artist offered at auction in 2019.