17th Century Landscape Paintings

River landscape with popular life scene Oil painting on canvas 62 x 98 Framed 74 x 110 cm. We present this vast and harmonious composition, where a characteristic river landscape acts as a stage for an exquisite extract of popular life, set in a small village on the edge of a lush stream. The painting, which presents characters unequivocally linked to the Flemish culture of the second half of the 17th century, shows iconographic and stylistic correspondences, in particular, with the successful production of Adrien Frans Boudewijns (1644-1711) and Pieter Bout (1658- 1719). Aside from the figure of duck hunter...

Frans Wouters was a Flemish Baroque painter who mainly created smaller cabinet pieces. He was initially apprenticed to Pieter van Avont in Antwerp, but then moved to Rubens‘ worksho...

Fascinating mythological story of Diana and Actaeon can be found in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Very important provenance from a royal collection. Fabulous finely carved gilt wood coeval frame . Giovanni Battista Viola...

"Alexander Adriaenssen (1587-1661). Still Life With Fish" By Alexander ADRIAENSSEN (1587-1661). Still life with fish", oil on panel, 50.5 x 76.5 cm

A beautifully detailed late 17th or early 18th century Dutch or Flemish landscape with cows grazing in the water, goats, dogs, and other animals near the water’s edge, under the watchful eye of the herdsmen, on a backdrop of rolling hills and trees. Oil on wood panel, unsigned, and housed in a Rudolph...

Quality work attributed to the painter Peter Van Der Velde (Antwerp 1634 - c.1714)  Coastal view with fortified city and boats (city of Antwerp?) Oil pa...

Serguace di Salvator Rosa Paesaggio con personaggi Olio su tela, Sec. XVII, cm 52x93,5; con cornice cm 64x146x6

A Mediterranean harbour scene with figures and ships before a Capriccio landscape. Oil on Canvas In a gilded frame 10 ½ x 19 ½ inches 26.6 x 49.5 cm ABOUT THE ARTIST: Adriaen van d...

Portrait of a young girl, full-length, wearing a blue silk gown, standing on a terrace beside a classical urn holding a branch with blossom. Attributed to John Riley...

Johann Heinrich Roos (Otterberg 1631 - Frankfurt 1685) Landscape with the myth of Mercury and Batto (from Ovid's Metamorphoses) Oil painting on canvas 101 x 159 cm. With frame 115 x 174 cm. The work represents the mythological episode, taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses (Ovid, Metamorphoses, II, 676-707), and precisely when the god Mercury, taking advantage of a moment in which Apollo leaves his herd alone, steals some heifers and then hides them in a ravine. The only witness to the theft is the old Batto, a shepherd in charge of looking after the purebred horses of the rich Neleus, king of Pilo and who, in exchange for a heifer, guarantees the God not to be a spy, swearing to him that he will remain silent as a stone. . Immediately distrusting of his words, Mercury decides to test his honesty: he presents himself in front of him with another aspect, asking him if he had seen a herd pass by, and offering him in exchange for this information a bull and a heifer. Batto, who is immediately tempted by this new and more convenient offer, indicates without hesitation where the animals were hidden. As Ovid well illustrates in his poem 'the Metamorphoses', whoever betrays the trust or benevolence of a God is forced to a bitter fate, and so Batto is transformed by Mercury into a stone, remaining silent for eternity just as he had promised. The scene represents the moment when Mercury is offering Batto a heifer, which he indicates with his hand, in exchange for his loyalty. The divinity is perfectly recognizable due to his classical attributes, the winged helmet and shoes and above all the caduceus, the winged staff with two twisted snakes, which he will use to transform the shepherd into a stone. The figurative and exhibition peculiarities of this valuable painting...

Felice Torelli (Verona 1667 - Bologna 1748) Hagar and the Angel Oil on canvas, 41 x 116 cm without frame - 52,5 x 127 cm with frame Original shaped and ...

Old master painting featuring a busy port city in the 17th century. Most likely Dutch and very close in style to the work of Thomas Heeremans. This is...

The Hunting Party, 17th Century School of Simon KICK (1603-1652) Huge 17th Century Dutch Old Master interior of a hunting party after the hunt, oil on canvas. Excellent quality and condition that would signifcantly enhance with a light clean. Presented in an antique gilt frame. Exceptionally detailed and early interior hunting portrait...

View Of Posillipo from the Riviera di Chiaia, circa 1695 by ANGELO MARIA COSTA (1670-1721) Huge 17th Century Italian Neapolitan School view of Posillipo from the Riviera Di Chiaia,...

Quality work attributed to the painter Peter Van Der Velde (Antwerp 1634 - c.1714) - Monogrammed Coastal view with vessels and perched castle Oil painti...

Painted in collaboration with Hendrick van Balen (Antwerp, 1575 – 1632). Provenance: Private Collection, Uruguay, since the 1930s. The eldest son of Jan Br...

Artist/ School: Italian School, 17th century, circle of Salvator Rosa (1615-1673) Title: Waterfalls in a Landscape Medium: oil painting on canvas, unframed Size: canvas: 20 x 24....

Oil on oak panel Image size: 11 1/2 inches circular diameter (29 cm) Hand carved gilt frame

Jesus Feeding The 5000, 17th Century School Of NICOLAS POUSSIN (1595-1665) Fine huge 17th Italian Old Master of Jesus Feeding The 5000, oil on canvas. Stunning panoramic early and ...

Thomas Wyck or Wijck (Bewerwyck 1616- Haarlem 1677) Roman landscape with washerwomen and apple seller about 1660 Oil on panel - 35 x 47 cm., Framed 51 x 62 cm. Provenance: Bonhams Auction, London, Old Master Paintings 9.12.2015 Soraya Cartategui Fine Art Auction - Madrid / New York The work is cataloged on the RKD archive (Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie). It is a work of the painter Thomas Wyck (Bewerwyck 1616 - Haarlem 1677), an important Flemish artist of the Golden Age, originally from the city of Haarlem and specialized in the creation of splendid landscapes and genre scenes, often set outdoors and populated by figures of commoners, as in our case with a couple of washerwomen who get water from a well and a woman who sells apples to a traveler. Active in Rome between 1640 and 1642 - known here with the nickname of 'Flemish Thomas' - his style was strongly influenced by this Italian stay, and in particular by the contact with that group of Nordic painters, almost all Dutch, working in Rome in the full seventeenth century, called Bamboccianti. The proposed canvas is in fact part of the typical “bambocciate” trend, in the execution of which the echoes of the representations by the school leader Pieter van Laer...

Traveller in a Duch Village Meerhoud Jan Gorinchem 1633 – 1677 Amsterdam Dutch School Golden Age Signature: Signed bottom left Medium: Oil on panel Dimensions: Image size 21 x 25 c...

Scipione Compagno (active in Naples in XVII century) Crucifixion Oil on canvas, cm. 64 x 52,5 - with frame cm. 80 x 67 Antique wooden cassetta frame carved, sculpted and gilded by Mecca technique Expertise: Nicola Spinosa Publications: Bozzetti, modelletti, sketches: dalla collezione di Giorgio Baratti...

Hans de Jode (The Hague, 1630 - Vienna, 1663) Fantasy winter landscape with lake and city on the banks About 1650 Oils on canvas (62 x 93, in frames 82 x 112) The work is accompanied by an expertise of Dr. Fred G...

Matthieu Van Plattenberg known as Platte-Montagne (Antwerp 1608 - Paris 1660) Stormy navy with vessels Oil painting on canvas 84 x 140 cm. i...

The Rape Of Europa, 17th Century after Claude Lorrain (1604-1692) Large 17th Century Italian Old Master of The Rape Of Europa, oil on canvas. Large sc...

Figures & Cattle In A River Landscape, 17th Century School of Johann Melchior Roos (1663-1731) Fine large 17th Century German classical landscap...

Giovan Battista Discepoli, called the Zoppo from Lugano [Castagnola (Lugano) 1590 - Lugano 1654] Coronation of Thorns Oil on panel, cm. 34.2x39.5 – with frame cm. 46x52 Shaped and ...

PIETER MULIER KNOWN AS TEMPESTA Haarlem, 1637 - Milan, 1701 Landscape Oil on canvas, cm 49x65 - with frame cm 62x78 Gilded and shaped frame Expertise:...

This painting is added to the corpus of Jans Frans Van Bloemen by an expertise of professor Giancarlo Sestrieri. The Van Bloemen were a family of painter. Jans, born in Antwerp, prob...

The canvas can be inserted in the production of Christian Reder, known in Italy as Monsù Leandro. After a period of apprenticeship in Hamburg, he was f...

Hans de Jode (The Hague, 1630 - Vienna, 1663) Fantasy winter landscape with bridge and tower About 1650 Oils on canvas (62 x 93, in frames 82 x 112) The work is accompanied by an expertise of Dr. Fred G...

Alexander van Bredael (Antwerp 1663 - 1720) - Signed lower left: A.V. BREDAEL F (ecit), Italian coastal landscape with market scene Oil painting on canvas (70 x 88 cm., framed 95 x 113 cm.) Provenance: Mercier & Cie, Lille, France, 05.28.2000, lot 223 Dorotheum, Vienna, 4.10.2000, lot 496 (estimate 18,000-22,000) The work, particularly rich in detail, depicts a fantasy coastal landscape, as the scene of a teeming morning market that animates the main square, with a multitude of characters, including fruit, vegetable and livestock merchants, fishermen in the distance and buyers. The signed painting is a typical work of the well-known painter Alexander van Bredael (1663–1720), a native of Antwerp, specializing in highly imaginative market scenes and village festivals, slides of everyday city life. His works are often set in Mediterranean landscapes, where the architectural models of Italian inspiration stand out, such as the classic village perched overlooking the shore, and the particular fountain that stands out in the center of the square, decorated with masks, female figures and a statue of a satyr on top. Even the style with which the characters are outlined and the tasty genre scenes perfectly reproduce the prototypes of the master, characterized by a use of bright colors, and by an extremely refined attention to detail, which combines his ability as a landscape architect to that of naturamortista. Finally, the particular beauty and wealth of detail with which the depictions of animals are rendered, the beautiful and rustic still lifes exhibited by the vegetable and fruit seller, the silhouettes of the characters, minutely described and enjoyable in every detail, deserve mention. Works by the author that appeared on the market, with stylistic and compositional characteristics similar to our painting: - Alexander van Bredael, Great pastoral feast among ancient ruins, Hampel (Munich) 06.26.2009, nr. 248 - Alexander van Bredael, Figures in a stream outside the city, Lempertz (Keulen) 22-11-2008, nr. 1292 - Alexander van Bredael, Landscape of the South...

Flemish school, 17th century Orpheus and the animals Oil on canvas, 146,5 x 217 cm Provenance: South German private collection. On an impressive, room-filling format, this painting depicts "Orpheus and the Animals." The harp-playing Orpheus sits centrally in front of a tree whose trunk bifurcates above his head. This central tree frames with its crown the scenery towards the horizon and at the same time offers through branches the possibility for many birds to find space. The left half of the picture is characterized by a seascape, at the edge of which the ruins of a castle can be seen deep in the background. This seascape, framed by mountains on the horizon, is the only area where sky can be seen. On this side, waterfowl such as storks, swans and ducks can be seen. In the right half, the viewer looks into a deep European forest. On this right side, more land animals can be found, such as deer, rabbits and lions, among others. Orpheus wears opulent red and gold trimmed clothing, under his blue breastplate we see a white shirt. His feet are adorned by elaborate sandals. His head is surrounded by a radiant laurel wreath ("poeta laureatus"). The young man is clearly identifiable as the singer and poet of Greek mythology, Orpheus, by his harp, the laurel wreath and the animals surrounding him. Orpheus was one of the Argonauts who, under Jason, was searching for the Golden Fleece. He sang so beautifully that he even conquered the angry sea and enemies by the magic of his lyre. During the journey, Orpheus is said to have drowned out even the sirens with his singing. It is said that he was the greatest of all poets and charmed people, animals, stones and trees with his singing. In total, 51 birds and 37 different species are depicted in the painting. The animals are mostly depicted in great detail and, except for a few, can be identified. Mainly European species of animals are shown. Exceptions are the ostrich-like nandu peeking out from behind the deer, as well as the large parrot on the upper left, and the two lions. Similar is the case for the large animal directly behind Orpheus on the right. The shape of the head suggests an arctic fox from the polar regions, even though the body is much too large. The arctic fox was first described in 1555 by Olaus Magnus. However, it could also be a depiction of a brown or black bear. An unusual detail is the animal, which is relatively isolated in the right background and looks to the left. It is not clearly identifiable, but it shows certain similarities with the Australian kangaroo. This was first described by Vespucci in 1500 and further by Francisco Pelsaert in 1629. If it is indeed a kangaroo, this would be one of the earliest surviving pictorial representations. In this painting, Orpheus is accompanied by a small monkey playing a viola da gamba. This is an iconographic peculiarity. In general, this painting has some peculiarities compared to other paintings with "Orpheus and the animals". The central positioning of Orpheus is quite common, but he usually holds a lyre and is dressed in an antique style, but not as opulently. The choice of animals is also remarkable: European animals in particular are seen, hardly any exotic features, such as camels or elephants. The two lions in the right foreground are a quotation from Peter Paul Rubens and his depiction of "Daniel in the Lion's Den", which was realized in an engraving. The present painting can be classified as belonging to the Flemish School of the 17th century on the basis of its painterly and compositional conception. From the circle of Jan Brueghel the Younger are numerous representations of this Orpheus - theme, which take it as an opportunity to show as many exotic animals. There are also echoes of Spanish painters such as Juan de Arellano...

Oil painting on canvas. Northern Italian school of the 17th-18th century. In a large, rather barren hilly landscape, which widens and fades to the right, there is a high rock, shaped...

Marco Ricci (Belluno 1676 - Venice 1730) attributable to Coastal landscape with port city and boats oil painting on canvas 82 x 126 cm., In gilded frame 93 x 137 cm. Provenance: purchased by the previous owners around 1970 in Vienna, at the Hofstätter Gallery (as Marco Ricci) We present with great pleasure this vast and harmonious composition of a coastal view with a fortified city overlooking the sea and a rocky cove in the foreground with several boats, including a vessel. The work, coming from a prestigious Austrian collection, bears a historical attribution to the sphere of Marco Ricci (Belluno 1676 - Venice 1730) who, by virtue of the stringent compositional and stylistic similarities that we can find with the autograph works of the Venetian master, we feel we can confirm. Our marina wisely combines elements taken from life with elements drawn from the author's imagination, set within a wide-ranging perspective framework; the canvas is then enveloped in a diffused but natural luminosity, evoking that sense of atmosphere which is a prelude to eighteenth-century vedutism, but without having those markedly rocaille characteristics. Among the innovations introduced by Marco Ricci in landscape painting, and which we find in our beautiful painting, there is the experimentation of light in its possibilities of atmospheric rendering. The painting in question shares many details with the master's works, such as the mountain ranges that dissolve into the background taking on silvery tones, the tree motif in the foreground and the classic rocky spur, as well as the small figures that animate the scene and still the city ​​on the coast dotted with bell towers and towers, in addition to the compositional cut of the view that expands in depth in a modulated succession of perspective plans. Finally, we can trace the characteristic light effects of the master, highlighted here by the cleaning intervention just carried out in our restoration laboratory, previously obscured by an amber paint that prevented the correct reading of the pictorial material. Trained on the study of the great Venetian tradition and, above all, on Titian's models, Marco Ricci had started his painting activity in the workshop of his uncle Sebastiano. After an important trip to England and Holland, the direct knowledge of Nordic painting - in particular of the works of Johann Anton Eismann, Pieter Mulier...

Peasants Preparing A Carcass Of Pork Bartholomeus Molenaer Haarlem (1618-1650) Description by Bartholomeus Molenaer Haarlem circa 1618-1650 The interior of the barn with peasants preparing a pig carcass signature traces on the table in the lower center oil on oak panel without frame: 48.3 x 64.6 cm. ; 19 x 25 3/8 inches framed: 60.5 x 82 cm .; 23 7/8 x 32 1/4 inches Provenance With J. Leger & Son, London and Brussels, in 1932 (as Isaac van Ostade); Anonymous sale, Amsterdam, Art & Antiques Group...

Hunting played an essential role in the lives of princes and nobles for centuries. It was no different in the 17th century. Paintings depicting hunting scenes were hung, for example, in the hunting lodges of elites. It should be noted that the upper bourgeoisie also began to show interest in painted hunting scenes during the 17th century. In the Southern Netherlands there were a number of skilled animal painters who produced hunting scenes, including Frans Snijders, Paul De Vos, Jan Roos, Pieter Boel and Jan Fyt. Snijders knew how to render the anatomy of the animals masterfully. Also, he managed to make his animals look intelligent. He let them express a variety of feelings. His colleague, Paul De Vos, seems to have been less familiar with animal anatomy. His animals lack a kind of individuality and psychological expression. The panel shows a boar hunt with dogs. It was a prevalent theme, portrayed by Rubens, Snijders, De Vos and others. Buyers were especially interested in the showdown between animal species. The mental and physical strength appealed to their imagination. The painter of this little work has no solid knowledge of dog breeds. Due to a lack of insight into dogs' bone and muscle structure, he makes them look rather stiff. Mainly the heads have something naïve about them. It cannot be ruled out that the artist of this painting is Jan van Kessel...

This is a masterfully rendered and brilliantly designed scene from the Arabian Nights. page 33 from Random House. We are not sure if this is by Gustaf Tenggren. ( Gustaf Tenggren At...

Felice Torelli (Verona 1667 - Bologna 1748) Rachel Hiding the Idols Oil on canvas, 41 x 116 cm without frame - 52,5 x 127 cm with frame Original shape...

Jan Frans Soolmaker (Flanders 1635‑1685) Shepherd with Sheep, Cows and a Goat in a Landscape oil on relined canvas canvas size 56 x 53 cm frame i...

Here Gaspard Dughet offers us an idyllic vision of the Roman countryside. The stages follow one another in a perfectly structured composition, revealing here a lake, there travellers walking along, gradually leading our eye to the blue horizon. But behind its classical composition, this landscape is particularly interesting because of three anthropomorphic details that the artist has hidden, opening the way to a radically different interpretation... 1. Gaspard Dughet, a landscape artist in the light of Poussin Gaspard Dughet was born on June 4th, 1615 in Rome where his father, of French origin, was a pastry cook. He was probably named Gaspard in honour of his godfather Baron Gaspard de Morant, who was, or may have been, his father's employer. His older sister Jeanne married the painter Nicolas Poussin (1594 - 1655) on September 1st, 1630. The young Gaspard was apprenticed with his brother-in-law at the beginning of 1631, which led his entourage to name him Gaspard Poussin. The first preserved works of the painter date from the years 1633-1634 and were painted in Poussin’s studio. Around 1635, Gaspard Dughet became emancipated and began to frequent the Bamboccianti circle. In 1636, he became friends with the painter Jean Miel (1599 - 1656), but also with Pier Francesco Mola (1612 - 1666) and Pietro da Cortona (1596 - 1669). This was also the time of his first trips throughout Italy. The painter, although of French origin, appears never to have visited France. In 1646 he settled permanently in Rome. A recognized painter with a solid book of orders, he remained faithful to landscape painting throughout his life, alternating between cabinet paintings and large decorative commissions, using both oil and fresco. Nailed to his bed by rheumatic fever at the age of 58, he died on May 25, 1675. 2. Discovering an idealized landscape Beyond a relatively dark foreground that takes us into the landscape, we discover a vast bluish horizon: a plateau surrounded by deep ravines advances to the right, overhanging an expanse of water that sparkles below. A road winds through a mountainous mass as if leading us to the fortress that crowns it; another town appears in the distance at the foot of three conical mountains. The composition is rigorous, mineral, and structured by geometric volumes. The various stages in the landscape lead one to the next attracting the eye towards the horizon located in the middle of the canvas. The general impression is that of a welcoming and serene nature. In many places the paint layer has shrunk, or become transparent, revealing the dark red preparation with which the canvas was covered and accentuating the contrasts. Human presence is limited to three jack players, leaning against a mound in the foreground. Their long garments, which may evoke Roman togas, contribute to the timelessness of the scene. Close examination of the canvas reveals two other travellers on the path winding between the rocks. Made tiny by the distance, their introduction in the middle register, typical of Dughet's art, lengthens the perspective. While it is difficult to date the work of a painter who devoted his entire life to the representation of landscapes, it is certain that this painting is a work from his later years. The trees that occupied the foreground of his youthful compositions have been relegated to the sides, a stretch of water separates us from the arid mountains counterbalanced by two trees represented on the opposite bank. The introduction of this stretch of water in the middle of the landscape betrays the influence of the Bolognese and in particular of the Dominiquin (1581 - 1641) A number of similarities with a drawing in the British Museum might suggest a date around 1656-1657, since, according to Marie-Nicole Boisclair , it has been compared with the Prado's Landscape with the Repentant Magdalene, painted at that period. 3. Three amazing anthropomorphic details While some late Renaissance landscapes offer a radical double reading, allowing one to see both a face or a human body behind the representation of a landscape, it seems interesting to us to hypothesize that Gaspard Dughet had fun here by slipping in a few details that, taken in isolation, evoke human or animal figures. We will give three examples, looking closely at a cloud, the trunk of a broken tree and the top of a cliff. The main cloud could thus evoke a Christ-like face or that of an antique god...

Oil paint on wood by Aelbert Cuyp ( 1620-1691 ), Dutch. Signed lower left: A. Cuyp. Framed. Measurements: 9.72 x 13.58 in ( 24,7 x 34,5 cm ), framed: 17.2...

Simone Cantarini (Pesaro 1612 - Verona 1648) Adoration of the Magi Oil on paper applied to canvas, cm. 16,5 x 24 – with frame cm. 22 x 29 Antique sh...

Fascinating mythological story of Diana and Actaeon can be found in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Very important provenance from a royal collection. Fabulous finely carved gilt wood coeval frame . Giovanni Battista Viola...

Pandolfo Reschi known as Monsù Pandolfo (Danzica 1643 - Florence 1699), attributable Coastal landscape with fortified city, castle with tower, and battle scene oil painting on canvas Measurements: canvas 90 x 120, with frame 104 x 134 This expansive coastal landscape, with a fortress-city overlooking the sea and a small castle with a watchtower, serves as the stage for an eventful battle scene between soldiers and, presumably, a band of brigands. It is an illustrative typology attributable to Pandolfo Reschi (Danzica 1643 - Florence 1696), known for his works in which he perfectly combines the airy landscape of Tuscan-Roman matrix with images of knights in battle or brigands intent on their raids. Pandolfo Reschi was born in Gdansk but from an early age he moved to Rome where he began his brilliant career following the style of Salvator Rosa, even if his real teacher was the Flemish-Italianized Livio Mehus. With Mehus and Rosa he refined his skills as a battle painter and was later taken to the workshop by the Borgognone, even if his main occupation was that of a genre painter. The decisive turning point in his career came after his transfer to Florence, around the middle of 1660, where he continued his studies with Livio Mehus. After a decade he was now an established and highly coveted painter, so much so that in 1670 he was hired by the Medici court as protege of Cardinal Francesco Maria de Medici...

Artist/ School: 17th Century Dutch School Title: An Extensive River Landscape with Figures in the foreground Medium: oil painting on canvas, framed Pai...

Oil painting on canvas. The large landscape is dominated by an imposing architectural structure with columns overlooking the sea, which occupies the entire central part of the canvas...

Abraham van CUYLENBROCH (1620-1658) Diana With Her Attendants in a Grotto 1651 signed oil on panel 12.2 in x 15.7 inches, inc. frame; 31 x 40 cm Provenance: Sale of Sotheby's Lo...

Remembering the magic of everyday life moments in the art of David Teniers: The art of David Teniers the Younger (1610–1690) coincided with the heyday of the Flemish Baroque and captured a great variety of motifs of his time. In this painting of a seemingly simple peasant scene lies keys to understanding both the imaginative mind of Teniers as well as why this time period produced some of the most iconic works in all of art history.  As indicated by the name, Teniers was more or less born into his profession. As the son of David Teniers the elder, himself a painter who studied under Rubens, the younger David received training in art from a very young age and had no less than three brothers who also became painters. Because of his father’s frequent financial failures that even at times saw him imprisoned, David the younger helped to rescue the family from ruin through painting copies of old masters. Essentially, the young Teniers was confronted with painting as both a passion and creative expression as well as a necessity during difficult times, an experience that would shape much of his capacity and sensitivity in his coming life. Despite the hardships, the talent and determination of Teniers was recognized and quickly expanded his possibilities. He had already spent time in France and possibly also England when he was hired by his father’s former teacher Rubens to help with a prestigious commission with mythological paintings, now considered lost, for Philip IV the king Spain. In 1644–54 Teniers was appointed dean of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke, manifesting his esteemed position within the artistic community. A few years afterwards he took an important step when relocating to Brussels, where Teniers yet again found new career opportunities that would prove to be very successful. As the keeper of the collections of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, a role similar to what we now refer to as an art advisor, Teniers purchased hundreds of important artworks that manifested the prominent status of the Archduke’s collection while at the same time providing an unusual access to inspiration and knowledge for Teniers himself. Since he kept on painting during the same time, his creative scope must have seemed almost bewildering in the great variety of images and stories that he surrounded himself with.  Regardless of how glamorous and culturally stimulating the career of Teniers was, he was as open to the charm and existential importance of everyday life as he was to works of great masters and luxurious collectibles. In his impressive repertoire of genres with everything from exquisite royal portraits, interiors, landscapes and history paintings he always added something new and inventive, highlighting the possibilities of art and importance of an experimental and intuitive mind. It is difficult to single out one aspect or genre to summarize his legacy, since it lies much more in the broad virtuosity across many motifs, although he is particularly remembered for farm scenes and meticulously depicted interiors where other paintings and artworks are captured with an astonishing precision. However, the fact that he is still today one of the most known and celebrated names of the Dutch Golden Age is a proof to the magic of his work, which continues to spark dialogue and wonder in the contemporary viewer of his works. The farm boy in the field in this painting, which likely dates to the mature part of his career, is a wonderful entry into the mind of Teniers. In the tightly cropped motif, we see him standing right in the middle of the busy harvest when men, women and everyone capable were sent out in the field to collect the crop that formed the very core of their diet and survival. In the background we see a fresh blue sky interspersed with skillfully painted clouds, some trees reaching their autumnal colours and in the far distance the glimpse of a small church and village. The presence of a church in a landscape, so typical of Dutch art, served both a symbolic and visual function as a representation of faith while at the same time defining scale and distance. In the field, the work is in full action with the farmers spread out in various positions, all in the midst of hard and sweaty labour. While they are portrayed as having nothing else than the work on their mind, our farm boy seems to have his attention directed elsewhere. Standing there with his white, half open shirt, flowy curls and strong, sturdy body; his gaze is directed away, out of the picture and the scythes in his hands. He looks almost smirking, expressed with tremendous subtlety in the slight smile of his lips and big eyes, being just in the middle of losing focus on the work. What is it that steals his attention? What has he seen, or realized, or felt – to break him free of the arduous task of harvesting, if but for a moment? Here starts the wondering and the questions that are the hallmark of a great piece of art. Instead of explicitly locking in the motif in overly clear symbolism Teniers has chosen an open ended, subtle yet striking moment for us to consider. While it of course can be related to numerous other farm scene depictions of this time, and clever usages of gazes and real-life scenes to underscore various moral or symbolic meanings, the painting can be much more of a contemplation than an explanation or illustration. The ordinary nature and understated yet emotionally textured composition of the motif gives greater space for our own reactions and thoughts. Has he seen a pretty farm girl just passing by? Is he fed up with the farm life, joyously dreaming away for a minute, imagining another future? Or is he simply in need of distraction, looking away and ready for anything that can steal his attention? One quality that never seem to have escaped Teniers was that of curiosity. During all of his career he constantly investigated, expanded and experimented with not only the style and technique of painting, but with the vision of art itself. Being credited with more or less introducing farm motifs for a broader audience not only tells us of his ability to understand the demand for different motifs, but the sensitivity to transform seemingly ordinary parts of life into deep aesthetic experiences, far beyond their expected reach. The farm boy in this painting is, of course, exactly that. But with the help of one smirk the entire picture is charged with a different energy, awakening many contrasts and relationships between the calm landscape, the hard work and his own breach of effectivity, holding sharp scythes while thinking or seeing something else. It is no wonder Teniers chose to work with farm scenes as a way of investigating these intricate and delicate plays on expectations and surprises, clarity and ambivalence. It invites us to an appreciation of human everyday life that connects us with the people of 17th century...

Fascinating mythological story of Diana and Actaeon can be found in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Very important provenance from a royal collection. Fabulous finely carved gilt wood coeval frame . Giovanni Battista Viola...

Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert Pan plays to the dance of the putti Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert (1614 Bergen op Zoom - 1654 Antwerp) Pan plays to the dance of the putti Oil sketch Oil on canvas, 35 x 51 cm Provenance: Belgian private collection, ca. 1980 to 2020. The oil sketch shows a flute-playing man with dark curls sitting at the left edge of the picture in a recess draped with cloth. In the lower left corner, a fallen bowl with leaking water can be seen. The right half of the picture shows a circle of five dancing putti, whereby the left putti can be recognized as a satyr due to the goat legs. The background is dominated by a dark mountain landscape. In the sky a rising or setting sun can be guessed. It is possible that the flute player represents Bacchus, the god of wine and ecstasy. This fits with the flute as a symbol of celebration, as well as the bowl of water, which could refer to Bacchus' mother, Lethe. Lethe is a river in the underworld, which at the same time symbolizes "oblivion". Thus, the spilling water bowl is not only a reference to this river, but it also symbolizes "oblivion". Moreover, Bacchus is usually depicted with satyrs in his retinue, which would explain the putto with goat legs. However, the interpretation of the flute player as the god Pan would be possible. He is usually shown with his flute and associated with dance. Moreover, he is native to the mountainous landscape of Arcadia. The present work is an oil sketch, i.e. a preparatory study. This is suggested by the partly unfinished parts, as well as the structure of the picture. Some parts are already almost completely laid out, such as the flute player, while others, for example the horizon and also the figures of the putti, are only sketched in outline. The painting can be attributed to the Baroque painter Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert. This attribution was also confirmed by Prof. Hans Vlieghe. Bosschaert lived and worked in Antwerp with Peter Paul Rubens and Anthonis van Dyck, among others. He studied with Gerard Seghers...

As the Dutch painter Philips Wouwerman often did, this artist painted travellers stopping at an inn or a farm. One of the men got off his horse to urinate against the facade of the building. The motif of a peeing man was far from an exception in Dutch genre paintings...

Travellers In A Mountain River Landscape, 17th Century Studio of Maerten RYCKAERT (1587-1631) Large 17th Century Flemish mountain river landscape with travellers, oil on canvas. E...

17th Century Flemish School Oil Painting on Copper Panel A fine original oil painting on copper panel A landscape with figures in various...

17th Century Old Master, Figurative and Landscape Painting by Jan Van der Bent So far, little is known about the life and work of Jan van der Bent. He was...

Pair of Antique 17th Century Floral Still Life Paintings, Attributed to Vincenzino Italian, second half 17th Century Dimensions: Frame height 111cm, width 170cm, depth 7cm; Canvas he...

Figure In A Landscape, dated 1915 by Sir Herbert Edwin Pelham Hughes Stanton (1870-1937) similar to $20,000 Large 1915 view of a figire in an extensive landscape, possibly near Mo...

Enormous 17th Century Italian landscape with figures in Arcadia. Unframed at present. Excellent condition.