6032 - Hofmann, Samuel

Hofmann, Samuel The Adoration of the Magi. Oil on canvas. 116 x 86 cm. Signed and dated lower left "S. Hoffmann pinxit 1640"; on the reverse of the stretcher, an old label written in pen "236 / S. Hoffmann 1640 / labeled". Samuel Hofmann was born in Sax in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley and, according to Joachim von Sandrart, received his artistic training from Gotthard Ringgli, one of Zurich’s leading painters of his time. Even at a young age, he was drawn to the burgeoning art centers of Antwerp and Amsterdam, which were among the most dynamic hubs of Baroque painting. Direct contact with Peter Paul Rubens, as has occasionally been suggested, remains unconfirmed. It is more likely that Hofmann worked in various studios in Amsterdam before becoming an independent artist in 1617/18—though he never joined the Guild of St. Luke. No works from this early creative phase have survived. Upon returning to Zurich, Hofmann gained great recognition as a portrait painter. In addition to his portraits, he also devoted himself to still lifes, which he frequently incorporated into large-scale kitchen scenes and hunting scenes—a genre that was entirely new to the Swiss art scene at the time. Thanks to his training in Amsterdam, he became an important bridge between Dutch and South German painting. His carefully composed still lifes—inspired by artists such as Frans Snyders—in particular reveal this affinity with Flemish art. For his rare historical paintings, Rubens and Jacob Jordaens served as stylistic points of reference, as this painting impressively demonstrates. It shows compositional parallels to Rubens’ version of the same motif, now in King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, as well as to Jordaens’ altarpiece, which is housed in the art collection in Kassel. His sphere of influence extended far beyond Zurich: commissions took him to Breisach, Milan, and Baden-Baden. Between 1640 and 1641, he received commissions from Pietro Dolce, the Venetian ambassador in Zurich—and this work also dates from that period. From 1643 onward, he worked in Basel and maintained close ties with the Margraves of Baden. In 1644, he settled in Frankfurt am Main, where he died in 1649. - Please request condition reports for the lots, as the condition is listed in the catalog only in exceptional cases. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.