Attributed to FRANS FRANCKEN III (Antwerp, Belgium, 1607 - 1667). "The wedding at Cana." Oil on
Attributed to FRANS FRANCKEN III (Antwerp, Belgium, 1607 - 1667).
"The Marriage at Cana".
Oil on copper.
Size: 43,5 x 33,5 cm; 59 x 69 cm (frame).
Devotional painting in which one of the miracles of Jesus' life can be seen. It is the well-known theme of the wedding of Cana, of great importance both in the liturgy and, for this reason, in art, as it is the first moment in which Jesus performs a miracle or sign, thus beginning what is known as his "Public Life" and the events that would lead to the Passion and Resurrection. This biblical theme is taken from the Gospel of John (2:1-11). This painting follows the influences of the work in the Chapel of San Hermenegildo in Seville Cathedral, a work attributed on good grounds to the Flemish painter Frans Francken III.
The Flemish painters of the Mannerist and Baroque periods treated biblical themes with great freedom and as an excuse to depict customs and people of their own time. In this case we have a singular iconographic display, given that both the stormy sky and the jars piled up on the table in the background, from which a magical aura emerges, point to the conversion of water into wine, the first miracle attributed to Jesus.
The style of the painting may be related to the circle of Frans Francken III. The son of Frans Francken II, he was the last member of the important family of painters of this surname. After completing his training he joined the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp, his native city, in 1639 and became dean of this institution in 1656, a post he held for a year. Francken III developed an oeuvre that was heir to that of his father and in fact his paintings are often confused due to the fact that they both used the same signature. His oeuvre reveals the influence of Jan Brueghel de Velours and his predecessors in the Francken family, as well as debts to Mannerism and 16th-century painting, evident both in the structure of the compositions and in the rhythm and expression of the figures. Furthermore, as in his father's work, his figures include evident allusions to the work of Italian artists such as Raphael, Veronese and Zuccaro. However, his son's works are characterised by a less emphatic manner and a softer execution than those of Francken II. The reuse of specific motifs from the father's paintings is frequent in the son's work, and he also borrowed from a number of Dutch works. His principal works are based on the incorporation of figures in the paintings of Flemish church interiors by Ludovicus Neefs, of which the two paintings in the Museo del Prado, executed around 1646, are a brilliant example. Frans Francken III was the teacher of Carstian Luyckx and Jan Baptist Segaert. He is now represented in the Museo del Prado, the Royal Belgian Fine Arts Museum, the Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Doornik (Belgium), the Residenzgalerie in Salzburg and other important museums and collections.
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Attributed to FRANS FRANCKEN III (Antwerp, Belgium, 1607 - 1667).
"The Marriage at Cana".
Oil on copper.
Size: 43,5 x 33,5 cm; 59 x 69 cm (frame).
Devotional painting in which one of the miracles of Jesus' life can be seen. It is the well-known theme of the wedding of Cana, of great importance both in the liturgy and, for this reason, in art, as it is the first moment in which Jesus performs a miracle or sign, thus beginning what is known as his "Public Life" and the events that would lead to the Passion and Resurrection. This biblical theme is taken from the Gospel of John (2:1-11). This painting follows the influences of the work in the Chapel of San Hermenegildo in Seville Cathedral, a work attributed on good grounds to the Flemish painter Frans Francken III.
The Flemish painters of the Mannerist and Baroque periods treated biblical themes with great freedom and as an excuse to depict customs and people of their own time. In this case we have a singular iconographic display, given that both the stormy sky and the jars piled up on the table in the background, from which a magical aura emerges, point to the conversion of water into wine, the first miracle attributed to Jesus.
The style of the painting may be related to the circle of Frans Francken III. The son of Frans Francken II, he was the last member of the important family of painters of this surname. After completing his training he joined the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp, his native city, in 1639 and became dean of this institution in 1656, a post he held for a year. Francken III developed an oeuvre that was heir to that of his father and in fact his paintings are often confused due to the fact that they both used the same signature. His oeuvre reveals the influence of Jan Brueghel de Velours and his predecessors in the Francken family, as well as debts to Mannerism and 16th-century painting, evident both in the structure of the compositions and in the rhythm and expression of the figures. Furthermore, as in his father's work, his figures include evident allusions to the work of Italian artists such as Raphael, Veronese and Zuccaro. However, his son's works are characterised by a less emphatic manner and a softer execution than those of Francken II. The reuse of specific motifs from the father's paintings is frequent in the son's work, and he also borrowed from a number of Dutch works. His principal works are based on the incorporation of figures in the paintings of Flemish church interiors by Ludovicus Neefs, of which the two paintings in the Museo del Prado, executed around 1646, are a brilliant example. Frans Francken III was the teacher of Carstian Luyckx and Jan Baptist Segaert. He is now represented in the Museo del Prado, the Royal Belgian Fine Arts Museum, the Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Doornik (Belgium), the Residenzgalerie in Salzburg and other important museums and collections.
Estimate
Time, Location
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