17th CENTURY ANVERSOISE COLLECTION, Follower of... Lot 38

17th CENTURY ANVERSOISE COLLECTION, Follower of Pierre-Paul Rubens (1577-1640) Portrait of painter Frans Francken the Elder Canvas. 17th century. 41 x 32.3 cm. (Some restorations, lining from the 19th century). This good-quality early replica is a bust of Rubens' 1615 portrait of his Antwerp colleague Frans I Francken (1542-1616). Son of Nicolaes Francken, Frans I was, along with his brothers Hieronymus I and Ambrosius I, one of Antwerp's most prominent painters at the time of the Counter-Reformation. The Francken dynasty continued with his sons, including the famous Frans II Francken, who headed one of the most prolific Flemish painting workshops of the 17th century.