Frans Francken II

(Antwerp 1581–1642)
The Last Supper (in a painted oval), Godfather and the Four Evangelists (painted en grisaille in the corners),
signed lower centre: Di FFRANCK IN,
oil on copper, 30 x 23.5 cm, framed

Literature:
U. Härting, Studien zur Kabinettbildmalerei des Frans Francken II (1581-1642), Hildesheim 1983, cat. no. 182

We are grateful to Ursula Härting for confirming the attribution of the present painting in full. A written certificate accompanies the present lot.

Small-sized cabinet pictures populated by small figures, such as the present composition, were Francken’s speciality. Scenes painted on copper, which stood out for their chromatic intensity, already came to be coveted in the late sixteenth century. Francken’s closeness to the Habsburg governors in Brussels, Archduke Albrecht and Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia, is documented by his Ball at the archducal court in Brussels from circa 1610, which includes portraits of the regents and their guests (Mauritshuis, The Hague). Frans II is known to have been in contact with the Brussels court painters during the first decade of the seventeenth century, including Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel I, both of whom also lived in Antwerp.

In the present painting, Francken demonstrates the skill of his painting technique and the elegance of his compositions. In spite of the demanding technique of applying the paint in delicate layers of glazes, he maintains a spontaneity of his style, which ensures that the facial features of his protagonists turn out as impressive character studies.