Lot 1033 Dα

Joos de Momper, the son of a painter and art dealer, joined the Guild of Saint Luke in his hometown of Antwerp in 1581. It is highly probable that he then undertook a trip to Italy. Although this is not documented, it is indicated by numerous motifs in his paintings. He must have returned to Antwerp at the latest by the time of his marriage in 1590.

Momper devoted himself exclusively to landscape painting. Initially he mainly painted "world landscapes", which are still strongly influenced by Pieter Brueghel the Elder and Paul Bril, but later he expanded his repertoire to include hill and plain landscapes, grotto scenes, and seasonal depictions.

This painting was assigned to the artist's early phase by Dr Klaus Ertz, who dates it to the late 1590s. Here, De Momper combines various parts of the landscape into a harmonious overall composition, painted in predominantly pale colours. At the lower edge of the picture, a partly shaded path extends into the foremost picture plane. This leads to a bridge on the right where we see a peaceful group of figures conversing and several riders on horseback.

In the left half of the image, a rugged rock formation rises above a calm expanse of water. It is crowned by a castle and several waterfalls descend down its surface into the river below. A shepherd playing a shawm has settled with his dog and herd at the foot of the rock. On the right, the observer's gaze is led far into the distance, where the landscape appears to dissolve into a pale haze. Above the water mill on the river bank, one sees a covered wagon and several travellers on foot.

Ertz assigned the lively and varied figural staffage in this painting to an artist from the circle of Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573-1647). Flemish art of the early 17th century is characterised by this kind of creative collaboration between artists specialising in various genres.