Attributed to Pieter Thijs Antwerp 1624–1677 Portrait of an Archbishop, bust-length, in his clerical robes oil on canvas, unframed 70.7 x 58 cm.; 27⅞ x 22⅞ in.
Work: 157,5 x 120 cm Frame: 192,5 x 154 cm The painting is accompanied by a certificate from Katlijne Van der Stighelen of December 1997 (prof. Dr. Katlijne Van der Stighelen (°1959) is a Belgian art historian. She is known for her research and publications on female artists in the Netherlands and portrait painting by the Flemish masters. Katlijne became a doctor in art history at KU Leuven in 1988, with a thesis on Anna Maria van Schurman. She was subsequently appointed associate professor in 1990, professor in 2001, and full professor in 2007 at the same university. In 2002, she held the Rubens Chair at Berkeley University for three months. Since 2003 she is a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts. In 2018 she was curator of 'Michaelina. The leading lady of the baroque', a retrospective that was part of Antwerp Baroque 2018 and was set up in collaboration with the Rubens House and Tourism Flanders, link). According to her, it is a contemporary copy after the painting with the same name by Antony van Dijck in the Antwerp Saint Paul's Church (ninth painting in the Rosary cycle, which consists of 15 paintings). In the publication of Jacobus de Wit (De kerken van Antwerpen: schilderijen, beeldhouwwerken, geschilderde ramen, enz., in de XVIIIe eeuw beschreven door Jacobus de Wit, Uitgaven der Antwerpsche Bibliophilen, nr. 25, Antwerp-’s Gravenhage, 1910, p. 57) the author speaks already about a copy after Van Dijck's original: 'Den volgenden klynen autaer tegens den Choor, heeft eene Cruysdraeginge door: A. Van Dyck geschildert, die eertyds tegen over den Predick-stoel gestaen heeft, onder de 15 Misterien van den Roosen Crans, daar nu een Copye in desselfs plaatse staet. Aen den Andere kant van het ocksael. Deze Schilderye is nu wederom, sedert eenighen tydt, op syn oude plaetse gebraght, en de Copye in den Autaer gestelt.’ According to a 19th-C. 'Beschrijvinghe van de Cloosters, Autaeren, Epitaphiën, Schilderijen en Beelden, ende andere Variteyten in de Stadt van Antwerpen', Van Dijck's original no longer hangs in the cycle, but is on the altar of the Holy Cross ('Stuck verbelt de cruysdraeginge, een copije naer het stuck in h. cruysautaer, geschildert door eenen broeder Preekheere Thijssens'). This information is undoubtedly based on now disappeared source material from the archives of the Saint Paul's Church (see also: M. Robbroeckx, The fifteen Rosary paintings of the Sint-Pauluskerk in Antwerp, unpublished. Lic. Verh, Ghent, 1971-1972, p.15 ). Because the relevant archive documents have all been destroyed, the attribution of the copy to 'Predikheer Thijssens' must be further verified. It should be added, however, that according to the already quoted Mark Robbroeckx, a copy was also made after the 'Flaging' by Rubens (also in the Saint Paul's Church in Antwerp). If we try to reconstruct the course of events on the basis of documents drawn up after the French invasion of 1794 and the subsequent seizure of the most important paintings in Antwerp, a number of things are confirmed. From the study by Ch. Piot (Rapport à Mr le Ministre de l’Intérieur sur les tableaux enlevés à la Belgique en 1794 et restitués en 1815, Brussel, 1883, pp. 313, 317), it appears that '‘Deux tableaux, peints l’un d’après Rubens et l’autre d’après Van Dyck; par Thys' arrived in Paris in 1794. A specific destination for the paintings is not mentioned. It is interesting that reference is also made to 'Thys' here. According to the available sources, the copy has not returned to Antwerp. In Piot's list under no. 46 'L'enlèvement' is mentioned in 1794 and under 1815 'pas restitué' is mentioned. As for the new location, it says 'Inconnu'. F.J. Van den Branden writes in his 'De geschiedenis van de Antwerpsche schilderschool’ (Antwerp, 1883, p. 1277), regarding 'De geroofde schilderijen' (The looted paintings): 'uit de Predikheerenkerk: de Aanbidding der Herders door Adam van Noort (…), benevens twee prachtige kopijen van den Predikheer Thijs naar Rubens en Jordaens; (…)'. On p. 1373 he talks about the not returned paintings and mentions, among other things: the two beautiful copies of Rubens and Jordaens by the Predikheer Thijs. Taking into account the data of Ch. Piot, one can assume that Van den Branden was mistaken here as far as the last artist's name is concerned (Jordaens). Significant is the registration that in 1815 the two copies could no longer be located. The provenance of the painting offered here is partly unknown. However, it can be deduced from a number of inscriptions on the back that the piece was donated in 1899 by Henry Morris Chester, Trustee and Treasurer, to an institution that may be identified with the Royal Surrey Hospital, Guildford Surrey. The painting was still preserved at this latter location in 1958 when it was restored there by F.M. Francis. The inscription on the front of the frame goes back to the fragmentary handwritten text on the back which refers to Sir Joshua Reynolds and his'Journey to Flanders’ of 1781 (cf. L. Dimier, Reynolds Discours sur la Peinture et Voyages Pittoresques, pp. 385-387). The possibility that these are indeed portraits of Van Dijck's relatives and painters is out of the question. The same suggestions for identification can also be found in the small printed text note that is also attached to the back of the work. This may be a fragment from a 19th-C. auction catalogue. As far as the history is known, it is obvious to identify the painting with the copy that did not return to Antwerp at the beginning of the 19th C. The work is of exceptionally good quality and was made only a few decades after the original was created. The dimensions of both paintings are approximately the same. That the small deviation is not a problem for identification is also proven by Jordaens' painting with the Crucifixion (Antwerp, Saint Paul's Church, canvas, 242 x 185 cm) which also differs in size by a few centimeters from the other copies in the same series . In addition, it cannot be ruled out that the canvas was reduced by a few centimetres. The painting was probably put on the market shortly after 1815 and thus sold to England. (Note: Nevertheless, it remains remarkable that in the whole cycle of the rosary Van Dyck's painting is slightly smaller than the others, link). As to the author of the copy, it may be noted that his name is cited by U. Thieme and F. Becker as well as by A. von Wurzbach. The latter author (Niederländisches Kunstlerlexicon, 2, 1906, p. 711) says: 'Pater Thys oder Thyssens: Dominikanermönch und Maler angeblich in der zweiten Hälfte des 17. Jhs tätig'. Reference is also made to a painting in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp depicting a descent from the cross (inv. no. 356, canvas, 360 x 218 cm). The painting comes from the chapel of the Zwartzusters in Antwerp. Archive research by Daniëlle Maufort already showed in 1986 that the attribution of the painting to 'Predikheer Thyssens' cannot be accepted. After all, the said author has been able to demonstrate that the painting was made in 1669 for 300 guilders by the Antwerp painter Peter Thys (1624-1677) on behalf of the Zwartzusters in Antwerp. In the 1988 catalog of the KMSK in Antwerp (Catalogus Schilderkunst. Oude Meetsers, Antwerpen, 1988, p. 367, no. 356) the work does indeed appear in the name of Peter Thys. If one traces the name Thyssens for the period in question in the guild lists of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke, one can find the name of a father and a son August Tyssens. Neither appears to have ever been 'Predikheer'. In 1631 a certain 'Augustyn Tysen, handelaer' (merchant) is registered. In the year 1653 the name of 'Augustyn Tysens, painter. Wynmeester', appears again (as the son of the preceding one). In a footnote, however, it is noted that he died on June 18, 1675 and came from the Saint-Andrew parish. Moreover, in 1669 'de huysvrouw van den jongen Augustyn Tyssens, (schilder)' was buried. In 1674/75 the painter himself dies and the death debt of a second wife is paid. His collection of paintings is known thanks to the publication of J. Denucé (De Antwerpsche “konstkamers”. Inventarissen van kunstevrzamelingen te Antwerpen in de 16e en 17e eeuwen, Antwerpen, 1932, pp. 264-267, per 14 juni 1675). On the basis of the information cited, it is therefore obvious to conclude that with regard to the copies it can also be said that 'Predikheer Tyssens' must be a mystification for the Antwerp painter Peter Thys (as also appeared earlier with regard to the piece in the KMSK in Antwerp). It is therefore this prolific baroque painter who may be referred to as the maker of the copy. It is probably no coincidence that the Antwerp Predikheren ordered a copy of Van Dijck's original from one of the most 'Dijckian' painters of the time. This observation is also confirmed by a remarkable affinity between the style idiom of Peter Thys and the execution of the painting. Study of the copy convinced me of the great stylistic qualities of the maker. The copy was certainly executed after Van Dijck's death as Peter Thys did not become master until 1645. Thus the copy can be placed in the mature 1650s/60s. - Literature: - C. Brown, Van Dyck, Oxford, 1982, p. 40: 'The painting ('Christ carrying the cross') was painted for the church of the Antwerp Dominicans, which is now St. Paul's. It was one of a series of fifteen paintings representing the Mysteries of the Rosary commissioned by the Order. Among the other artists who contributed to the series were Rubens, Jacob Jordaens (who was six years Van Dyck's senior and a master in the guild since 1615), Cornelis de Vos (who was fourteen years older than Van Dyck and a master since 1608) and Van Dyck's master, Hendrick van Balen. Ruben's painting has an inscription on the framing dating it to 1617 and it is generally believed (the relevant document is undated) that the series was painted in 1617-1618. If this is the case, Van Dyck's inclusion among the leading painters of Antwerp is a clear indication of his reputation, despite the fact thet he was still only in his late teens. His painting is very Rubensesque not only in mood, colour and compositional scheme, but also in the inclusion of figures in a heroic scale, like the half-naked man on the right. Of the technical skill of the young painter there can be no doubt, but the composition is crowded and the action confused. Figures which are extraneous to the scene, like the man on the right, are obtrusive: they distract the viewer's attention from the central drama of Christ's suffering glance at his mother.'
Work: 43,5 x 31,6 cm Zephyr (Zephyros or Zephyrus) is a Greek mythological figure. He was one of the four winds (Anemoi), and was the personification of the west wind, the gentlest of the winds. Zephyr is known as the fructifying wind, the messenger of spring. The Romans equated him with Favonius. (link) Peter Thijs (or Pieter Thys) became a master in Antwerp's Guild of St. Luke in 1644 and from around 1647 worked for Archduke Leopold William in Brussels and the House of Orange in The Hague. He executed allegorical and mythological compositions for both courts and was also active as a portrait painter. Later in his career Thijs concentrated mainly on religious compositions for the Antwerp religious community but also painted mythological scenes and portraits for individuals and the art trade in Antwerp. From the the beginning of his career, Thijs was greatly influenced by the later work of Van Dyck. This may be related to the fact that his early patrons were rulers whose taste was formed by Van Dyck's refined courtly style. Furthermore, Thijs also was a student of Van Dyck. In addition, he also enjoyed his education in the workshops of Gonzales Coques and Artus Deurweerders. (link)
Attributed to Pieter Thys (Antwerp 1624-1677) An elderly man and a young boy warming themselves on a brazier, An Allegory of Winter oil on canvas 120.4 x 95.7cm (47 3/8 x 37 11/16in).
(Anversa, 1624 - 1677) Gesù Bambino che trionfa sul male Olio su tela, cm 75X65 Pieter Thijs si formì nella bottega di Anton Van Dyck e condusse una brillante carriera che gli permise di lavorare per eccellenti committenze, come l'Arciduca Leopold William di Austria, governatore dei Paesi Bassi spagnoli e della casa Orange-Nassau all'Aia. Nel 1639 sembra che abbia fatto il suo viaggio a Londra, e dal 1658 al 1661 lo sappiamo a Vienna. Si specializzì in scene classiche e religiose nonché nella ritrattistica. Era registrato alla Gilda di San luca della città di Anversa dal 1644, in cui ricoprì incarichi di prestigio come tesoriere, consigliere e coordinatore della beneficenza. L'attività pittorica di Thijs è stata oggetto di studi sistematici da parte di Danielle Maufort che gli ha dedicato fra l'altro un testo monografico nel 2005. Bibliografia di riferimento: K. Daemen-de Gelder, J.P. Vander Motten, Peeter Thijs (1624-77) - an Antwerp Portraitist under the Patronage of William Frederick of Nassau-Dietz (1613-64), Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte 72 (2009), pp. 128-131
Saint Roch looked after by angels and fed by a dog. Black crayon with touches of white crayon, on tinted paper. Mounted on support by the left hand side. Preparatory sketch for the painting in the Our Lady's Church of Dendermonde. Expert note by Mr Bert Watteeuw to the actual owner. Description FR Saint Roch soigné par des anges et nourri par un chien. Craie noire, à rehauts de craie blanche, sur papier teinté. Du côté gauche monté sur support. Esquisse préparatoire du tableau qui se trouve dans l'église Notre-Dame de Termonde, commande de Pieter Kint (https://docplayer.nl/56082742-L-provincie-oost-vlaanderen.html). Attribution basée sur l'expertise communiquée par mail de Mr. Bert Watteeuw d.d.2.10.2019 au propriétaire actuel. Beschrijving NL Heilige Rochus verzorgd door engelen en gevoed door een hond. Zwart krijt, lichte toets van wit krijt, op getint papier. Aan de linkerzijde gemonteerd op drager. Voorbereidende schets voor het schilderij dat zich in de Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk van Dendermonde bevindt, met als opdrachtgever Pieter Kint (https://docplayer.nl/56082742-L-provincie-oost-vlaanderen.html). Toeschrijving gebaseerd op expertisenota via mail van dhr. Bert Watteeuw (d.d. 2.10.2019) aan de huidige eigenaar.
THYS, Peeter ( 1624 - 1677 ) Portrait d'un ecclésiastique Huile sur toile signée en bas à gauche : Peer Thÿs fecit 16... Dimensions : 55 cm x 44,5 cm Provenance : Collection de Monsieur de S., Bruxelles. Peter Thijs a adopté le style d'Anthony Van Dyck, sans avoir été directement son élève. Il accède à la maîtrise à la Guilde de Saint-Luc en 1644-1645 et bénéficie dès 1647, du patronage de l'archiduc Léopold-Guillaume de Habsbourg, devenant l'un de ses portraitistes officiels. Thijs s'essaya également à plusieurs reprises à la réalisation de portraits d'ecclésiastiques, par exemple peignit celui d'Herman Joseph van der Poorter de Bois-le-Duc. Expert : Cabinet Turquin/ Monsieur Stéphane Pinta
PIETER THYS (1624-1677) (toe te schrijven aan) Aartsengel Michaël en Hagar in de woestijn (Genesis 21: 17-19). Doek. Een grotere versie van dit werk (met Ismaël en een landschap rechts) werd bij Lempertz in Keulen aangeboden in 2014 (doek op spaanplaat, 120.5 x 165 cm, 14-15.11.2014, lot 1071). 150 x 120 PIETER THYS (1624-1677) (à attribuer à) Archange Michael et Agar dans le désert (Gen. 21:17-19). Toile. Une version plus grande (avec Ismaël et un paysage à droite) a été offerte chez Lempertz à Cologne en 2014 (toile sur panneau, 120.5 x 165 cm, 14-15.11.2014, lot 1071). 150 x 120 ENGLISH PIETER THYS (1624-1677) (to be attributed to) Arcangel Michael and Hagar in the desert (Gen. 21: 17-19). Canvas. A larger version of this painting with Ismael and a landscape in the right half was offered for sale at Lempertz Köln in 2014 (canvas on board, 120.5 x 165 cm, 14-15.11.2014, lot 1071). 150 x 120
*PIETER THYS (1624-1677) (toe te schrijven aan) Aartsengel Michaël en Hagar in de woestijn (Genesis 21: 17-19). Doek. Een grotere versie van dit werk (met Ismaël en een landschap rechts) werd bij Lempertz in Keulen aangeboden in 2014 (doek op spaanplaat, 120.5 x 165 cm, 14-15.11.2014, lot 1071). 150 x 120 *PIETER THYS (1624-1677) (toe te schrijven aan) Aartsengel Michaël en Hagar in de woestijn (Genesis 21: 17-19). Doek. Een grotere versie van dit werk (met Ismaël en een landschap rechts) werd bij Lempertz in Keulen aangeboden in 2014 (doek op spaanplaat, 120.5 x 165 cm, 14-15.11.2014, lot 1071). 150 x 120 *PIETER THYS (1624-1677) (à attribuer à) Archange Michael et Agar dans le désert (Gen. 21:17-19). Toile. Une version plus grande (avec Ismaël et un paysage à droite) a été offerte chez Lempertz à Cologne en 2014 (toile sur panneau, 120.5 x 165 cm, 14-15.11.2014, lot 1071). 150 x 120 *PIETER THYS (1624-1677) (to be attributed to) Arcangel Michael and Hagar in the desert (Gen. 21: 17-19). Canvas. A larger version of this painting with Ismael and a landscape in the right half was offered for sale at Lempertz Köln in 2014 (canvas on board, 120.5 x 165 cm, 14-15.11.2014, lot 1071). 150 x 120
Attribué à Pieter THYS (1624-1677) Bacchus et Ariane Toile 51 x 64 cm Restaurations anciennes et boursouflures Dans un cadre en bois sculpté et doré, travail français du XVIIe siècle
CertificateProf. Dr. Hans Vlieghe, 27.10.2008.This painting depicts a story from the Old Testament book of Genesis. When Abraham's wife Sara was unable to conceive, she allowed Abraham to lay with the young slave girl Hagar in order to continue the family line. However, when Hagar did give birth to a son, named Ismael, she was banished into the desert. When she was close to death, an angel appeared to her and showed her the way to a well, saving both her and her son from a death of thirst. The angel prophesised to her "I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude." (Gen. 16:10-11).The present work shows this dramatic moment in the desert in a dynamic pyramidal composition. We see Hagar on the left, pleading to the Lord with tears in her eyes whilst the young Ismael lays sleeping on the right. The angel in the centre forms the tip of the pyramid, pointing to the fateful well with a sweeping gesture of his left arm. The drama of the narrative is further increased by the fact that Hagar has not yet noticed the angel sent to save her.Hans Vlieghe attributes the work to the early Antwerp painter Pieter Thys, who belonged to the generation succeeding Peter Paul Rubens and Antonis van Dyck. Thys orientates himself heavily on van Dyck's palette in his works. Hans Vlieghe compares the head of Hagar and the figure of the angel in this piece to Thys' altarpiece "The Virgin Appearing to Wilhelm of Aquitania" (Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, inv. no. 354), and the figure of Ismael to a similar depiction in "Saint Rochus with Plague Victims", made for the Rochus Chapel in Dendermonde (now kept in the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwenkerk in Dendermonde).
THYS, PIETER (1624 Antwerp 1677) Portrait of a noble man, probably Frederik de Marselaer. Oil on panel. 54 x 41.7 cm. Provenance: - Private collection Basel, 1925. - Private collection , Europe. THYS, PIETER (1624 Antwerpen 1677) Portrait eines edlen Herren, wohl Frederik de Marselaer. Öl auf Holz. 54 x 41,7 cm. Provenienz: - Privatsammlung Basel, 1925. - Privatsammlung, Europa. Dieses auf einer qualitätsvollen Eichenplatte gemalte Portrait eines edlen Herren wurde vermutlich nach einem verschollenen Prototypen von Anthony van Dyck (1599 - 1641) gemalt, das in Van Dycks Antwerpener Periode um 1627-1632 datiert werden kann (gemäss Jan de Maere, Herausgeber von Maere, Jan de/ Wabbes, Marie: Illustrated Dictionary of the 17th Century Flemish Painting, 3 Bände, Brüssel 1994). Mehrere Versionen dieses Portraits zeugen von der Existenz eines Prototypen, eine davon im Musée des Beaux-Arts in Troyes (Öl auf Leinwand, 43 x 36 cm, Inv. Nr. 864-1-7). Eine weitere befindet sich in der Sammlung Czernin in Wien (Öl auf Leinwand, Masse unbekannt, Inv. Nr. 183), eine dritte wurde in Berlin an einer Auktion im März 1928 als von Anthony van Dyck verkauft (Öl auf Leinwand, 56 x 47 cm) und eine befindet sich in der Hermitage in St. Petersburg (Öl auf Leinwand, 68 x 60 cm). Der Portraitierte ist nicht zweifellos identifiziert, jedoch besitzt die National Gallery in Dublin ein Portait von Frederik de Marselaer von Van Dyck, das starke Ähnlichkeit mit dem edlen Herren in unserem Gemälde aufweist (siehe Barnes, S.J. et al: Van Dyck, A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, New Haven & London 2004, Nr. III.A18, S. 408, mit Abb.). Frederik de Marselaer (1584 - 1670), der in Antwerpen geboren wurde, studierte Rechtswissenschaft in Louvain, reiste nach Italien und liess sich schliesslich in Brüssel nieder, wo er zwischen 1614 und 1659 wiederholt als Magistrat, Schatzmeister und Bürgermeister tätig war und weitere wichtige Ämter inne hielt. 1617 geadelt, wurde er zum Herr von Perk, Elewijt und weiterer Ländereien in 1626. Er veröffentlichte eine Publikation, 'Legatus', über die Rechten und Pflichten eines Diplomaten, das zwsichen 1618 und 1666 fünf mal herausgegeben wurde. Das Dubliner Portrait wurde von Adriaen Lommelin (1637 - 1673) und von Cornelis Galle (1576 - 1650) graviert und somit verbreitet. Ein zweites Portrait von Marselaer, das ebenfalls Van Dyck zugeschrieben war, wurde am 7. Dezember 1994 bei Sotheby's in London verkauft (Los 46). Pieter Thys der Ältere ging bei Artus Deurwerders 1635/36 in Ausbilung. Um 1639 reiste er nach England und wurde Schüler von Anthony van Dyck (1599 - 1641). 1644 kehrte er nach Antwerpen zurück und trat als unabhängiger Maler in die dortige Guilde ein. 1648 heiratete Thys Constantina van der Beken, mit der er einen Sohn hatte, Pieter Pauwel, der später ebenfalls Künstler wurde. Thijs war als Dekan der St. Lukas-Gilde 1660/61 tätig. Im Sommer 1670 heiratete er Anny Brydegom. Pieter Thys schuf Kartons für Wandteppiche auf der Basis von Skizzen von Jan den Hoecke. Sein Malstil ist alleridngs stark von seinem Lehrer van Dyck geprägt. Er malte hauptsächlich Historienbilder und Portraits.
Pieter Thys (Antwerp 1624-1677) Portrait of a Gentleman Half length standing, holding a scroll Oil on canvas in a trompe l'oeil stone niche 109 x 87cm; 43 x 34¼in Lined, four punctures to the canvas, some evidence of restoration and cleaning
Pieter Thijs (Antwerp c. 1624-1677) Portrait of Herman Joseph van der Porter, Abbot of Saint Michael's, Antwerp, three-quarter-length, seated, in the Norbertine habit, with his episcopal mitre inscribed 'Par Le Roi Au Reverend Père en Dieu [...] Sieur et ...en a...me Da[vid?] Herman Joseph van der Porter Abbé de [St] Michel à Anvers' (centre right, on the letter) oil on canvas, unframed 47 3/8 x 36 7/8 in. (120.4 x 93.8 cm.), including an addition of 2¾ in. (7 cm.) to the upper edge, and an addition of 2¾ in. (7 cm.) to the left edge
A STONE BUST PORTRAIT OF ERZHERZOG LEOPOLD WILHELM OF AUSTRIA(1614-1662), SURROUNDED BY A GARLAND OF FLOWERS, INCLUDING TULIPS, ROSES, SNOWBALLS, MORNING GLORY AND LILIES measurements note 147.5 by 114.7 cm.; 58 by 45 1/4 in. inscribed on the base of the statue: CAESAR ISOLA PALMA LEOPυDO: TRIVMPυLIS: LAVREA,/ OBSDEOυLIS: GRAMINEA. VICTRIX OLEAGINA/ MVRALIS POPVLEA, OVALIS MYRTEA./ CIVICA QVERNA, HEDERACEA TANDEυM/ IN VNAM FLORVERVNT/ CORONE oil on canvas NOTE Archduke Wilhelm Leopold of Austria was the youngest son of The Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II of Hapsburg and his wife Maria-Anna of Bavaria. He was the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands between 1647-1656, and was an avid collector and patron of the arts. Pieter Thijs became a Master of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1644-5 and from circa 1647 he was actively involved working for Archduke Wilhelm Leopold in Brussels, as well as for the rival court of the House of Orange in The Hague. The flower garland is the work of another hand.
PROPERTY REMOVED FROM WARWICK CASTLE PORTRAIT OF AN ALMONER WITH HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN AS AN ALLEGORY OF CHARITY PORTRAIT OF AN ALMONER WITH HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN AS AN ALLEGORY OF CHARITY measurements note 185.5 by 285 cm.; 73 by 112 in. oil on canvas PROVENANCE Sir Alleyne Alfred Boxall (d.1927); Thence by descent to his son Sir Alleyne Percival Boxall (1882-1945); Gifted in 1927 to Leopold Guy Francis Maynard Greville, 6th Earl of Warwick (1882-1928), Warwick Castle; Thence by family descent until 1978, when purchased by the present owner. LITERATURE K. van der Stighelen, in J. van der Stock (ed.), Antwerp: story of a metropolis, 16th-17th Century, exhibition catalogue, Antwerp 1993, under cat. no. 175. NOTE Pieter Thijs' large-scale family portraits, for the most part dating from the 1650s and '60s, and usually unsigned, are among the most successful examples of the legacy of Van Dyck in portraiture in The Netherlands in the second half of the 17th Century. We are most grateful to Dr. Hans Vlieghe for confirming the attribution of this portrait to Pieter Thijs, and for pointing out that the same as yet unknown family was painted by Gonzales Coques, in a group portrait on the terrace of a country house, with a capriccio of the Antwerp cathedral of Onze Lieve Vrouw beyond, now in a Belgian private collection (see fig. 1).1 Both portraits show the family engaged in Christian acts of charity - giving bread and clothing to the poor and infirm. It is thus very likely that the husband was an Aalmoezenier (Almoner) of the city of Antwerp who, with other wealthy townsmen, took care of the feeding and clothing of the poor of the city. Coques' portrait shows the three children at a slightly younger age, and was probably painted two to four years earlier than the Warwick picture. On grounds of style and costume, both pictures may plausibly be dated to the 1660s, with the present picture perhaps dating from the end of the decade.2 There is a painted study of the son who is positioned second from the right, last recorded in the Limburg Stirum collection (see fig. 2). While its traditional attribution to Ykens is not implausible, it is much more likely that it too is by Thijs, and made in connection with the Warwick portrait group. This group portrait hung until very recently in the Great Hall at Warwick Castle. Sir Walter Scott described Warwick Castle as "the fairest monument of ancient and chivalrous splendour which yet remains uninjured by time". While other great medieval strongholds like Alnwick, Arundel and Windsor were transformed in appearance during the 19th Century, Warwick's feudal air is authentic. "Its aspect is the most severe, its courtyard the most sombre, its hall the most enormous, its furniture the most Gothic and its style the most perfect you can imagine" wrote the Duchesse de Dino in 1834.3 1. The painting is discussed in greater detail by K. van der Stighelen, under Literature. 2. Kathelijne van der Stighelen (op. cit.) dates the Gonzales Coques portrait to circa 1660-70, but dates the Warwick picture to circa 1670. 3. Both Sir Walter Scott and the Duchesse de Dino are quoted by M. Binney, in Country Life, 2nd December and 9th December 1982, pp. 1746 and 1882.
THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR PIETER THIJS ANTWERP 1624 (?) - 1677 PORTRAIT OF PHILIPS VAN DE WERVE AND HIS WIFE ISABELLE (NÉE CHARLES), SEATED WITH THEIR CHILDREN, ATTENDED BY A GROOM WITH A HORSE signed lower right: Peeter. Thijs Fecit inscribed on the reverse with the sitters' names (from right to left, as viewed from the front): Philips/van den/Werve; Isabelle/françoise/Charles; Philips/fernandus/van den Werve; Jan franciscus/van den Werve charged with the sitter's coat-of-arms lower right: Van de Werve & Charles oil on canvas PROVENANCE Probably by descent in the Charles family; 'Charle', by whose heirs sold, Antwerp, Brincken, 8 July 1784, lot 6, when presumably acquired; Thence by descent until sold ('The Property of a Noble Family'), London, Sotheby's, 12 July 2001, lot 34, for £220,000, where acquired by the present owner. LITERATURE AND REFERENCES F.P.[rims], "Aloude portrettengalerie. Philips Van de Werve en Isabelle Charles", in Zondagsvriend, no. 399, 28 September 1939, p. 1215, no. 399; M. van Huffel, Het Monumentale Familieportret in de Zuidnederlandse Schilderkunst van de Zeventiende Eeuw, unpublished thesis, Louvain 1985, vol. 1, pp. 203-9, no. III, 13; Y. Schmitz & A. Bousse, Les van der Werve. 800 Ans d'Histoire, Brussels 1988, p. 297, reproduced p. 298; H. Vlieghe, Flemish Art & Architecture 1585-1700, Cambridge 1998, p. 145, reproduced fig. 193. CATALOGUE NOTE This is arguably Pieter Thijs' finest group portrait, painted in the early 1660s when he was at the height of his powers, and probably in 1661 when he was Dean of the Antwerp Guild. Its composition recalls Van Dyck's large family-group portraits painted in his late English period, which Thijs would have seen when he went to England in 1639 to become a pupil of Van Dyck's. The figures in the present picture are also strongly Van Dyckian, especially the two children. The still life and parrot are by another hand; probably, as Fred Meijer has suggested on the basis of first hand inspection, by Pieter Boel (Antwerp 1622-1674 Paris). The Van de Werves were among the oldest of the Antwerp noble families. Several generations produced Burgemeesters (Mayors) of Antwerp, including Jan van de Werve in 1515, and Arnold van de Werve in 1531. Simon van de Werve saw service in the army of Alexander Farnese during the Siege of Antwerp in 1584-5, and carried a banner at the funeral of the Archduke Albert in 1621. His son Philips van de Werve was born on 24 December 1628, and is probably the 'Philippus van de Werve, Antverpiensis, minorennis' who was enrolled in the University of Leuven on 30 September 1649. The Charles family was a prominent Catholic family since the end of the 16th century. We do not know the exact date of birth of Françoise Charles, but she was baptised in Antwerp on 25 January 1635, the daughter of Gaspard Charles, Lord of Nieuwenhove and Dijkgraaf Général (in which capacity he was charged with the construction of the Ferdinandusdijk at Mortsel, near Antwerp), and of Marguerite Dansaert. Philippe van de Werve and Françoise Charles (d. 1718) were married in the Sint-Jacobskerk in Antwerp on 28 November 1655, and they had ten children. The two included in the present portrait are likely to be the two eldest sons: Philippe-Ferdinand (1656-1686) and Jean-François (1657-1710); identifications further supported by the inscriptions on the reverse of the canvas. Since they appear to be about four to five and three to four years old respectively, this picture should be dated circa 1660-1.
