Pieter Casteels became master in Antwerp in 1629.... Lot 37

Pieter Casteels became master in Antwerp in 1629. 1640/41 and 1644/45 are pupils for him attested. His work has not been sufficiently researched. He was a member of the Casteels dynasty of painters, which produced many artists. Due to its signature PC INV, the painting is important for the establishment of his Œuvre. Maria is sitting on the lap with the child at a dark edge of the forest. She looks out of the picture at the viewer. Little John the Baptist approaches her. In the foreground, two putti play with the Lamb of God, the attribute of the Baptist. At the front right is a basket of fruits and grapes that can refer to the Eucharist. The gnarled crippled willow is painted virtuously, it expressively stands out against the evening sky. The influence of Peter Paul Rubens can be seen in the atmospheric landscape. In Flemish painting, a new picture theme was established at the beginning of the 17th century, showing Maria with the child, John the Baptist as a child and playing putti together in a forest landscape. It was apparently derived from the subject of rest on the flight to Egypt and made it possible to combine the relevance of religious themes with the Flemish preference for landscape painting in an idyllic and contemplative way. Notes Expert opinion by doc. Klaus Ertz, 18 January 2018