In his letter of 13 April 1904 from Florence, Osvald Sirén described a painting he had discovered:
A good photograph gives you an idea of the boy's fragile, not so beautiful but rather pleasant appearance as well as of the composition of the picture. However, the artistic value of the painting is not evident in the photograph mainly because of the discreet and delicate toning. The background is light grey on which the boy's wavy, chestnut brown hair is delineated like a beautiful chord. The broadly painted large white collar creates a strong contrast to the black suit. In his left hand he holds a broad-rimmed hat. That is the whole picture: extremely simple, but extraordinarily stylish. It made a strong impression on me - mainly due to its toning, I think in the same way as a contemplative, sympathetic human being who talks seldom and quietly, but always in a warm recognizable tone. In short, I think it is a truly noble picture.
Osvald Sirén had no knowledge of the painter but was convinced that the identity of such a master could be found out. The picture reminded him of the works of Johannes Verspronck.
Paul Sinebrychoff decided to buy the painting:
The boy is by no means beautiful but based on the photograph, the picture has to be uncommonly well painted and that is the main thing.
After the painting arrived, Sinebrychoff was fascinated:
I do not regret having paid a bit too much for the Dutch work for I have fallen in love with him so deeply that I would not lose him at any price now. He is the finest piece in my collection and day by day I like him more.... the Swedish portraits are now mere slush to me.
In Stockholm, Osvald Sirén discussed the portrait with Dr Göthe. He suggested that it had been painted by the portrait painter Jan de Bray of Haarlem. After getting acquainted with the works of de Bray in Holland, Sirén supported the attribution with certain reservations. The work stayed registered to Jan de Bray until 1988, when Marja Supinen, following a hunch of Lubomir Slavicek, attributed the painting to Frans Luyckx. In the whole of the oeuvre of Frans Luyckx, the portrait of the unknown boy ranks as a fascinating work. It has a lot in common with the supposed self-portrait of the middle-aged Luyckx in the atmosphere of the portrait as well as in the boy's expression and appearance.
Frans Luyckx Portrait of a boy
