(or Peeter, Flemish, 1600-1652)
The Abduction of Europa, unsigned, oil on panel, 16-1/4 x 23-1/2 in.; 20th century black-painted reverse-profile frame,. Condition: visible underdrawing, light retouch, possible overcleaning but more likely to be less rendered.. Notes: Pieter Van Avont was a contemporary of Peter Paul Rubens and collaborated with the artists Jan Brueghel the Elder, David Vinckboons, Lucas van Uden as well as others.
This lot is accompanied by a 1979 letter of authenticity from Prof. Justus Müller Hofstede (1929-2015), Professor emeritus at the University of Bonn, scholar of Peter Paul Rubens and Netherlandish art.. Provenance: Estate of Hans Schleicher, Bamberg, Germany; By descent

visible underdrawing, light retouch, possible overcleaning but more likely to be less rendered.