JOHANNES BAECK (attr. to) (Utrecht, 1600 - 1654/1655) Diogenes Seeks Man Oil on canvas, 144X142 cm Provenance: Rome, Babuino Casa d'Aste, 9 December 2009, lot 32 (as Johannes Baeck) Born in Utrecht, there is little biographical information about Johannes Baeck. In fact, the surviving registers of the painters' guild do not mention his name, which only appears in the city archives in 1625 when he was appointed to the company of former Captain Blomendael, in accordance with the designation of the honourable gentlemen of the States of Utrecht, and he is later mentioned for having issued a surety in favour of his mother in 1631. These data suggest that Baeck probably devoted himself to art in the guise of a talented amateur or, rather, not as a professional painter but probably devoted himself to the craft of arms. However, Huys Janssen hypothesises on the grounds of style and affinity a possible alumnuship of his with Jan Hermansz van Bijlert (Utrecht, 1598 ; 1671), a fact that can be well ascertained by scanning his production and, in particular, by looking at those works depicting single figures. Reference bibliography: H. Janssen, Johan Beck, Painter and Soldier of Utrecht, Mercury (1989), no. 9, p. 31-41