Joos de Momper II (1564-1635) Lot n° 17

Joos de Momper II (1564-1635), An extensive mountainous landscape with travellers on a rocky path and a lake in the valley, oil on panel, 59x90 cm, Literature: -Klaus Ertz, 'Josse de Momper the Younger (1564-1635): the paintings with critical Catalogue raisonné', Freren 1986, ill. no. 98, p. 489 and 490, where dated late 1620's. Provenance: -Auction, Sotheby's, New York, 22 January 1948. -Auction, Koller, Zurich , 22 September 2000, lot 22, where acquired by the present owner. The figures appear to be painted by the studio of Jan Brueghel I (1568-1625), or by Jan Brueghel II (1601-1678) as suggested by Ertz on p. 490. The Flemish painter Joos de Momper II (Antwerp 1564-1635) came from a family of artists, and learned the trade from his father, the painter, art collector and art dealer Bartholomeus de Momper I. He oriented himself initially towards the later work of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Later, in Italy, he was introduced to Venetian colourism by the Flemish painter Lodewijk Toeput. The impressions he gained in the Alpine region were also important for his artistic development. Based on naturalistic drawings, he composed fantastic mountain landscapes in his paintings. He worked according to a fixed architectural structure, using differentiated light and shade to create a contrast between foreground and background. He applied an atmospheric perspective by means of a predominant use of warm brown colours in the dark foreground, a green central area, and light cold hues in the background, which adds depth to the painting. He used to delegate the figures in his paintings to Antwerp colleagues. The humans and animals in this lot are possibly done by the studio of Jan Brueghel I or II. In the history of Dutch art, De Momper’s paintings mark the transition point between the global landscapes of the mannerists and the naturalist landscape painting of the seventeenth century.