Bylert; Jan van
(Utrecht 1597/98 - 1671)
Circle

Shepherd Playing the Flute. Oil on canvas. Relined. 96 x 81cm.

Verso:
Old handwritten label on stretcher with attribution to Gerrit van Honthorst.

Upon his apprenticeship with Abraham Bloemaert (since 1616); Jan van Bijlert went to Rome.
There he was strongly influenced by Guido Reni; but especially by Caravaggio and his famous successor Gerrit van Honthorst. Returning to Utrecht in 1624; he was a founding member of the Utrecht painters' guild in 1926.

His subjects were genre scenes; religious and mythological sceneries. This shepherd playing the flute ranks among his many portrayals of musicians; mostly half-length; often in profile or semiprofile. Several European museums hold works by van Bijlert; for instance in Amsterdam; Berlin; Brunswick; The Hague; Kassel; Madrid; Utrecht; and others.
Art trade; Van Ham.