Denis Van Alsloot, Painter of Celebrations

Published on 16 September 2022, by Agathe Albi-Gervy

Auction on 23 September 2022 - 14:00 (CEST) - Hardturmstrasse 102 - 8031 Zurich

Works of this quality by Court painter Denis Van Alsloot rarely go under the hammer. The one here was commissioned by Archduke Albert of Austria and his wife Isabella of Spain to immortalize one of the most impressive celebrations during their reign.

Denis Van Alsloot (c. 1570-c. 1626) and studio, Archduke Albert and the Archduchess... Denis Van Alsloot, Painter of Celebrations

Denis Van Alsloot (c. 1570-c. 1626) and studio, Archduke Albert and the Archduchess Isabella at a Celebration in Vivier d'Oye near Brussels, oil on canvas, 151 x 239.5 cm/59.4 x 94.3 in.
Estimate: CHF150,000/250,000

A curious spectacle is taking place in the middle of the pond, catching the interest of a heterogeneous crowd that has massed together in all the available space, even in the forest. On the right side of the pong, in a leafy loggia, we see Archduke Albert (1559-1621) and his wife, Isabella of Spain (1566-1633). It is May 15, 1615, and this is the Sonian Wood, near Brussels (then the capital of the Southern Netherlands under the Habsburgs’ yoke). The annual shooting competition organized by the crossbowmen of the Grand Serment Royal, one of the most prestigious guilds in Brussels, proclaimed the Archduchess Queen of the Guild and celebrated the event for several days. The archducal…

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