Kessel, Jan van Antwerpen 1626 - 1679 ibid, Flemish... Lot 1666

Kessel, Jan van Antwerpen 1626 - 1679 ibid, Flemish painter, mainly still life, animal studies, river and paradise landscapes, comes from a famous Dutch family of artists. ''Noble Couple in Floral Cartouche'', lush bouquet of flowers with insects flattering a depiction of a couple in the center of the picture, inscribed and dated lower left. ''J.v.Kesel fec. anno 1609'', oil/canvas doubled, HxW: 83/65 cm. Rest. with ret., craquelée. With magnificent frame. Jan van Kessel was the grandson of Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625) and the nephew of Jan Brueghel the Younger (1601-1678). Because of his family background, his oeuvre was in the great Brueghelian tradition. His works range from detailed observed animal studies, to magnificent large-scale floral still lifes, to biblical, mythological and allegorical subjects surrounded by flora and fauna. The sculptural cartouche in the center of the painting, as was customary for the works of Jan van Kessel, is by the hand of an enlisted figure painter - in this case from the circle of Philip van Thielen (1618-1667). Inside the cartouche, a man at an open window with a jewelry box courts the attention of a fine lady in a light blue dress. The dark background brings the colorfulness of the flower arrangement into focus. Jan van Kessel's main focus here is on the detailed execution of the lush floral wreath with peonies, tulips, corn poppies, cornflowers and the foliage with numerous insects. Dr. Klaus Ertz dated the painting in his enclosed expert opinion (Lingen, 15.02.2023) to the 1660s. Provenance: Private collection Prague.