Michael Sweerts

We authenticate, certify, issue certificates of authenticity (COA), appraise the value and broker the sale of paintings, drawings, and prints by or after Michael SWEERTS.

Dutch.

Born in 1618, Brussels, Belgium.

Died in 1664, Goa, Portuguese India, aged 45.

He led an itinerant life and worked in Brussels, Rome, Amsterdam, Persia and India.

Typical subject matter:

He is renowned as Flemish painter and engraver of the Baroque period, known for his allegorical and genre paintings – including scenes of village life – as well as for his portraits – of villagers among others, including young girls and teenagers – and tronies. A distinctive genre of painting from the golden age of Dutch painting and Flemish Baroque painting, tronies generally depict a single figure portrayed with an exaggerated facial expression or an eccentric character made visible.

Typical style:

He is renowned for his highly realistic manner. His brushstrokes and general rendering are very smooth, with highly controlled chiaroscuro effects, reflections and rendering of materials, particularly on the metal objects depicted for this purpose or the satin-finished fabrics worn by the figures portrayed. In his portraits, the models are surrounded by numerous objects and attributes drawn from their contemporary surrounding, and they typically stand out against a plain, dark background. His portraits are uncompromising – in other words, the people he portrays are not idealised by his work. The hues he used are delicate and realistic.

Typical material and media:

He worked in oil on canvas. Some of his works were reproduced in his time in etching.

If you own a painting, a drawing or a print by, after or attributed to Michael Sweerts, we would like to learn about it. Please send us photos or contact us at [email protected]. You will generally receive a response within 24 hours.