Flemish Artist, Figurative Painting, 1800s, Oil on Panel

Details

Description

An Old Flemish painting from 1600, executed in oil on copper plate, depicting a glimpse of a landscape with figures, … Read more An Old Flemish painting from 1600, executed in oil on copper plate, depicting a glimpse of a landscape with figures, a genre scene with a multitude of characters crowded together on a street with classical architecture in the background. On the left side of the composition, on a sort of stage in front of a doorway decorated with bas-reliefs, are six figures of actors, actors of the Commedia dell'Arte: a dentist working on a patient, a gentleman proclaiming, a lady, a child, and a masked actor. Below the stage, among the audience, a multitude of passersby, characters immersed in a variety of scenes of daily activities, distinguished from each other according to Flemish custom; vendors, dogs, and a horse-drawn cart enrich the setting of this slice of life.

This detailed ancient painting can be dated to the circle of Cornelius de Wael (Antwerp 1592 – Rome 1667). Although small in size, it manages to depict a genre scene full of characters, composed of more than forty figures that crowd this composition. The work comes from a private collection, is unsigned and is in good condition, consistent with its dating. It is presented within a modern guilloché frame in ebonized wood. See less