Jan van DALEN (Antwerp, circa 1620 - after 1670) Allegory of taste in the guise of a mature man holding a glass of wine Oil on canvas Monogrammed and dated 'JVD / 1679 Allegory of taste in the form of a mature man holding out a glass of wine, oil on canvas, dated, by J. van Dalen 33.46 x 28.93 in. 85 x 73.5 cm Provenance: Rémy de Polignac Collection, Bayonne Our painting is an important addition to the corpus of works by Jan van Dalen, a painter who is still too little known but whose major canvases have recently reappeared on the art market (see in particular the anonymous sale; Paris, Artcurial, 9 November 2021, no. 31, (Allégorie des cinq sens, sold for €260,000)). Our painting is an eloquent example of what painting is like for this mysterious artist: the execution is fast and sure, the material is laid down on the canvas with ardour, almost with violence. The technique is perfectly mastered and the result dazzling. The date given to our painting adds an important piece of information about the painter's activity, which until now has been compartmentalised between around 1640 and 1660. The clues are accumulating, enabling us to make progress on this very mysterious artist, for while we have a name and a perfectly coherent body of work, we know nothing about him, this Flemish painter active in Italy, having learnt the lessons of Caravaggio, effective like Guido Reni in his ultimate style, powerful like Francesco Mola. The investigation continues, and we can only hope that future discoveries will restore him to his rightful place in the history of art. Jan van DALEN (Antwerp, circa 1620 - after 1670) 85 x 73.5 cm Our painting is an important addition to the corpus of works by Jan van Dalen, a painter who is still too little known but whose major canvases have recently reappeared on the art market (see in particular anonymous sale; Paris, Artcurial, 9 November 2021, no. 31, (Allégorie des cinq sens, sold for €260,000)). Our painting is an eloquent example of what painting is like for this mysterious artist: the execution is fast and sure, the material is laid down on the canvas with ardour, almost with violence. The technique is perfectly mastered and the result dazzling. The date given to our painting adds an important piece of information about the painter's activity, which until now has been compartmentalised between around 1640 and 1660. The clues are accumulating, enabling us to make progress on this very mysterious artist, for while we have a name and a perfectly coherent body of work, we know nothing about him, this Flemish painter active in Italy, having learnt the lessons of Caravaggio, effective like Guido Reni in his ultimate style, powerful like Francesco Mola. The investigation continues, and we can only hope that future discoveries will restore him to his rightful place in the history of art.