Lot 48: Jan Baptist Huysmans (Antwerp 1654-1716)

A wooded landscape with classical figures on a path and by a stream, a villa beyond oil on canvas 231/4 x 28 in. (59.2 x 71 cm.) PROVENANCE W. Anthony, Duke Street, St. James's, London; (+) Christie's, London, 3 February 1871, lot 45, as 'Huysman' (4 gns. to Herrmann). James Fenton, Norton Hall, Gloucestershire; Christie's, London, 26-28 February 1880, lot 281, as 'Huysman de Maline' (19 gns. to Legge?). NOTES The artist is recorded as a master of the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1676. He was probably the pupil of his brother, Cornelis,who had worked with, and been influenced by, Jacques d'Arthois. The present picture reveals Cornelis' influence on his brother, and indeed the two brothers' ouvres have been confused. Jan Baptist's landcapes tend, like the present work, to have a subtler tonal range and a more expansive composition.