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The Return Of King Agamemnon, 16th Century Frans I FLORIS (1516-1570) Trojan War

Battle of Marignano, 17th Century attributed to Il Borgognone (1628-1679) Large 17th Century Italian Wars battle scene identified as the Battle Of Marignano, oil on canvas. Excell...

Hero And Leander, 17th Century Studio of DAVID II TENIERS (1610-1690) Large 17th century Dutch Old Master classical scene of Hero and Leander, oil on canvas. Excellent quality an...

Frans Francken the Younger 1581 - Antwerp - 1642 Flemish Painter 'The Departure of the Israelites from Egypt – The Exodus', c. 1610 - 1620 Medium: pen in sepia on paper Dimensions: mage size 26 x 34,5 cm, frame size 55 x 65,5 cm Biography: Frans Francken the Younger, born in Antwerp in 1581 and passing away on May 6, 1642, also in Antwerp, was a distinguished Flemish painter. He is recognized as the most prominent and productive member of the renowned Francken family of artists. Francken explored a wide range of subjects, creating large altarpieces for churches and producing smaller works depicting historical, mythological, and allegorical scenes. Notably, his depictions of collectors’ cabinets established a popular new genre of art during his era. He was known for collaborating with other artists, enriching their works with his skilled renderings of figures and narrative elements, complementing specialists in landscape, architectural scenes, and floral still-life painting. Francken was born to Frans Francken the Elder and Elisabeth Mertens. His father was a pupil of Antwerp’s leading history painter, Frans Floris, and a significant creator of altarpieces in Flanders during his time. Francken received his artistic training under the guidance of his father. Additionally, it is possible that Frans and his brother, Hieronymus Francken II, received further instruction in the workshop of their uncle, Hieronymus Francken I, in Paris. A versatile artist, Francken made significant contributions to various genres within Flemish art, introducing new themes and subjects. Many of his works comprised small-scale historical, allegorical, and biblical cabinet paintings, often emphasizing figures. He is credited with either inventing or popularizing several novel themes that gained popularity in Flemish painting, including genre scenes featuring monkeys (also known as singeries) and Kunstkammer or gallery paintings, presenting a plethora of natural and artistic treasures against a neutral wall. Francken introduced various other unconventional themes that later gained traction, such as the ‘Triumphal Procession of Amphitrite’ and ‘Croesus and Solon.’ He also produced a series of paintings depicting witches and witchcraft, including portrayals of witches’ sabbats. His remarkable paintings are held in the collections of numerous major museums throughout Europe. Francken specialized in rendering the human figure, as evidenced by etched and engraved portraits of the artist by Anthony van Dyck (after Peter Paul Rubens), identifying him with the Latin inscription: ‘ANTVERIÆ PICTOR HVMANARVM FIGVRARVM’ (Figure painter of Antwerp). He was frequently invited to contribute figures to compositions by other esteemed artists, including landscape artists such as Tobias Verhaecht, Abraham Govaerts, and Joos de Momper...

Frans Franken III and aid, Adoration of the Magi Good condition The oil painting on wood, with a gold background, depicts an Adoration of the Magi. The Magi are dressed in sumptuous silk and brocade dresses; they wear precious hats and jewelery. The richness of their garments is in contrast with the humility of the Holy Family and of the other characters who, around curious, observe the scene. The hut is simple, made of wood and straw: above it shines the Comet, symbol of the divine event. In the distance, a group of wayfarers walk along a path that is lost on the horizon, blending into the gold of the bottom. The representation proposes a traditional iconography, in which the painter inserts some details that he lends himself to symbolic interpretations. Among these is the appearance of the Magi, who from the XIVth century differs iconographically: the wise astronomers represent the homage to Jesus of the then known parts of the world, namely Africa, Asia and Europe. To the right of the Magi, in the foreground, sits a monkey, considered a demonic creature and a symbol of lies and sin. It is depicted on the sidelines, as a defeat, next to a fragment of a classical column: ruin alludes to the end of paganism, of the old world that collapses with the advent of the new one, marked by the birth of Christ and liberation from the Original Sin. On the ruins he climbs the ivy, symbol of the immortality of the soul. The work is attributable to the workshop of the Flemish painter Frans Francken III...