BALTHASAR BESCHEY (Antwerp, 1708 - 1776) Adoration of the Magi Oil on copper, 35.6X29.2 cm Provenance: London, Philips, April 16, 1991, lot 114 (as Balthasar Beschey) Cologne, Lempertz, November 16, 2013, lot 1314 (as Balthasar Beschey) Private Collection. Bibliography: RKD: https://rkd.nl/imageslite/335699 (as Balthasar Beschey) Created on copper, the painting depicts the Gospel episode of the adoration of the Magi. The characters of style and writing are peculiar to the Antwerp school and, in particular, to Balthasar Beschey, an artist who was director of the local academy from 1755. His training was with the little-known Pieter Strick, and in 1752 he became master of the Guild of St. Luke. During his activity he also engaged in art trading, particularly exporting works to England (See C. Gould, S. Mesplède, Marketing Art in the British Isles, 1700 to the Present: A Cultural History, Farnham 2012, p. 106). The work is accompanied by critical entries by Ferdinando Arisi and Raffaella Colace.