BASSANO Italian genre painting 17th century Oil canvas Preparation of the meal

Charles BALAY Saint-Etienne, 1861 - Lyon, 1943 Oil on canvas Signed lower left “Balay” 56 x 46 cm (71 x 62 cm with the frame) Exhibition stamp on the verso of the exhibition of 1938 ...

French school of the first half of the 19th century Oil on canvas 45.5 x 60 cm (59.5 x 74 cm with frame) Beautiful 19th century carved and gilded wooden frame Good condition (a few r...

Petrus KREMER Antwerp, 1801 - Antwerp, 1888 Oil on wood panel 72 x 56.5 cm (85 x 72 cm with frame) Old label on the back Beautiful carved and gilded woo...

Hubertus VAN HOVE The Hague, 1814 - Antwerp, 1865 Oil on wood panel Signed and dated lower left "HV HOVE / 1840" 62.5 x 46.5 cm (70 x 56 cm with frame) Hubertus van Hove born in The...

The Prodigal Son Among Courtesans Attributed to Hieronymus Francken II (Antwerp 1578-1623) Early 17th century Antwerp school Oil on oak panel, Dimensions: H. 52.5 cm (20.67 in), W. 74 cm (29.14 in) Flemish-style moulded wood frame Frame: h. 78 cm (h. 30.70 in.), w. 100 cm (39.37 in.) At first glance, this festive and joyful painting depicts a group of elegantly dressed people dancing to the sound of an orchestra in a richly decorated interior with a wide opening onto a rural exterior. However, the real theme is cleverly concealed by the painter and is only discernible through the artifice of a small scene in the background where we see a half-naked man, in the company of the pigs next to a makeshift shelter. In fact, beyond the pleasant and apparently superficial character of the painting, it is a subject taken from the parable of the prodigal son in the Gospel. The illustrated episode is the prodigal son among courtesans. Even if the viewer's attention is drawn to the central couple (prodigal son embracing a pretty courtesan) doing the dance steps, the artist takes care in a narrative approach of all the groups and ancillary scenes in order to create a rich and varied composition. Thus the musicians seated on a raised platform are depicted with great skill, their faces animated, their clothes abundantly varied. The theme of music, which has always been associated with that of sensuality and physical love, helps to exacerbate licentious pleasures. The merry company dances "Spanish pavane", a slow court dance from the sixteenth century, danced close to the ground by couples arranged in a procession, which was probably introduced to the south of the Netherlands around 1600 during the governance of Albrecht VII and the daughter of the King of Spain Isabella Clara Eugenia in Brussels. The interior of the house is also carefully elaborated, the embossed leather dyes on the walls, the middle sideboard (typical in Francken interiors), where the rich gold and silver crockery is placed in front of the painting "Andromeda chained to the rock and Perseus arriving to rescue her". The inclusion of a contemporary and probably extant pictorial work is also one of the characteristics of the Francken family, among them Frans Francken the Younger...

This unpublished composition is a recent addition to Adeodato Zuccati’s catalog. The study of this painting by Gianluca Bocchi, an Italian art historian specializing in Italian still lives, is available upon request. This composition is typical of the productions of Adeodato Zuccati, an Emilian painter...

A very fine Italian 17th century oval oil on canvas "Head of Christ Crowned with Thorns" Circle of Pierre Mignard (French, 1612-1695) within...

A Tavern Interior - 18th Century Old Master, Figurative Oil Painting by Schaak Little is known about the artist J.S.C. Schaak. He was active in England as a portraitist between 1760-1770. His name indicates his German or Dutch origin. Especially portraits of generals...