Jean Tassel

JEAN TASSEL (Langres, 1608 - 1667)
"Young man with lute".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Provenance: Christie's Monaco, December 4, 1993, lot no. 22.
The state of conservation is good, with small localized retouches that do not affect the expressive force or the integrity of the work. The provenance documented at Christie's Monaco adds interest and historical value to the whole.
Measurements: 101 × 79 cm; 122 × 100 cm (frame)

A masterpiece of the French Baroque, this imposing painting by Jean Tassel combines with subtle balance the spiritual introspection and sensuality of the pictorial subject matter, revealing the artist's profound sensitivity to the symbolic and aesthetic values of the 17th century. The protagonist, a young woman playing a lute with an absorbed gesture, is presented to us in an atmosphere of almost mystical recollection. Her face, bathed in a warm, lateral light, rises upwards, suggesting a communion with the invisible, a rapture of inspiration or contemplation.
The dramatic chiaroscuro that dominates the scene betrays the assimilation of the Tenebrist language that Tassel probably knew during his stay in Rome in the 1630s, where he was able to come into contact with the painting of Caravaggio and his followers. This Italian influence is perceived not only in the volumetric modeling of the figure, but also in the tactile treatment of the canvases, the reflections on the instrument and the contained silence of the composition.
The female figure embodies, beyond a simple musical representation, an allegory of music understood as a vehicle for the elevation of the soul. The open book of sheet music on a richly decorated tapestry and the transcended gaze of the young woman, added to the chromatic balance between earthy reds, ochers and deep shadows, turn this scene into an exercise of visual meditation on harmony, art and inner beauty.

Jean Tassel, a member of an extensive dynasty of painters, developed a career singularly rooted in his hometown of Langres, where he preferred to practice his art independently, despite having received offers from Paris. Even so, he knew how to stay connected with the most refined stylistic currents of his time, from the Parisian classicism of Simon Vouet to Italian naturalism, as this work demonstrates.

Works by Tassel are preserved in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, as well as in other public and private collections of reference. This painting, for its lyrical power, technical virtuosity and symbolic depth, constitutes an excellent opportunity for collectors of European Baroque and lovers of 17th century French painting.