Flemish Artist, Landscape Composition, 1600s, Oil on Copper, Framed

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Ancient Flemish painting from the 1600s executed in oil on a copper plate, depicting a landscape view with figures: a … Read more Ancient Flemish painting from the 1600s executed in oil on a copper plate, depicting a landscape view with figures: a genre scene with a multitude of characters crowded in a street with classical architecture in the background.

On the left side of the composition, on a sort of stage in front of a portal decorated with bas-reliefs, there are six theatrical figures, actors of the commedia dell’arte: a dentist at work on a patient, a gentleman making a proclamation, a lady, a child, and a masked performer.

Below the stage, among the audience, there is a multitude of passers-by, figures immersed in various scenes of everyday activities, distinguished from one another according to Flemish tradition; female vendors, dogs, and a cart pulled by a horse enrich the setting of this snapshot of life.

This detailed ancient Flemish painting can be attributed to the circle of Cornelis de Wael (Antwerp 1592 – Rome 1667). Of small dimensions, it manages to depict a densely populated genre scene composed of more than forty figures crowding this Flemish composition. The work comes from a private collection, is unsigned, and is in good condition considering its age. It is presented in a modern ebony wood frame with guilloché decoration. See less