Completed Continental European before 1800 8 comments Who painted 'A Connoisseur's Studio': Egide Smeyers, or Jacobus Smeyes?
![SFK_SED_MA_1992_9_453](https://d3d00swyhr67nd.cloudfront.net/w486h800/collection/SFK/SED/SFK_SED_MA_1992_9_453-001.jpg)
Photo credit: West Suffolk Heritage Service
NICE Paintings lists this 1679 work as by Egide Smeyers (Flemish painter, 1634–1710) (please follow the link to the NICE Paintings record on the right-hand side of this page).
According to St Edmundsbury Museum's records 'A Connoisseur’s Studio' was painted by Jacobus Smeyes.
Any information/thoughts welcome.
Completed, Outcome
This work, by Flemish artist Jacobus Smeyes (or Jacques Smeyers) appears to be a copy of Frans Francken II's 'A Collector's Cabinet' of c.1610–1615, of which there are possibly seven known versions by the artist.
A description for the painting and updates to the artist record will appear on the Art UK website in due course. Thank you to all for participating in this discussion. To those viewing this discussion for the first time, please see below for all comments that led to this conclusion.
7 comments
RKD, Den Haag does not know Jacobus Smeyes and refers to
1)Smeijers, Egide Joseph born 1694 Mechelen, died 1771 idem
active in Düsseldorf 1715 - 1718, Rome,Mechelen 1722 - 1771
2)Smeijers, Egidius or Gillis, born 1634 Mechelen, died 1710 idem
active in Mechelen 1676 - 1710
If the date of the painting 'possibly about 1685' is correct, the painter is the second one.
Getty ULAN lists Smeyers, Jacques (Flemish artist, 1657-1732), also called Smeyers, Jacob. Apparently he was son of Egide Smeyers (1634-1710) and father of Egide Joseph Smeyers (1694-1774).
According to this photograph:
http://www.burypastandpresent.org.uk/bg/BRO_K505_3678.jpg
The painting is inscribed lower left. Is it possible to provide a high res of this?
After careful study of the inscription on the painting itself it is possible to decipher the word Smeyes and the date 1679. The word preceding Smeyes appears to be Jacob or Jacobus. Unfortunately the signature is so faded it will be difficult to obtain a high resolution photograph.
For comparison there is a quite clear Jacques/Jacobus Smeyers signature on the Hermitage's 'Peasants at the Table' https://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/digital-collection/01.+Paintings/31187/?lng=en
The painting appears to be a copy of Frans Francken the youngers's 'A Collector's Cabinet' of c. 1610-15, of which there are apparently seven known versions by the artist, according to the dealer: see http://www.dejonckheere-gallery.com/en/A_collector_s_cabinet-5.html?m=2&id=2&t=510
St Edmundsbury Museums have confirmed that the record is to be listed as (given title) 'A Connoisseur's Studio' by Jacobus Smeyes / Jacques Smeyers (1657–1732), with a description noting the connection to the Frans Francken II work.