Jan Baptist Lambrechts

JAN BAPTIST LAMBRECHTS (Antwerp, 1680-1731)
"Interior scenes: in the kitchen".
Pair of oil paintings on panel.
Signed.
Provenance: private collection in Bruges.
Conservation: very good condition.
Measurements: 26 x 23 cm; 41,5 x 38 cm (frame).

Pair of panels by the painter Jan Baptist Lambrechts, who lived in the Golden Age of Flemish painting and developed the costumbrist themes then in vogue in the Netherlands. As we can see in both interior scenes, the author developed his own style characterized by the juicy brushstroke that extracts the right qualities and brightness to the crockery and ceramics, and the inclusion of splendid still lifes in scenes starring characters of humble extraction. The two paintings show the spaces destined to the servants in the kitchens, where we see the women carrying dishes or peeling vegetables. They wear aprons over their dresses and are covered with headdresses. The men, also servants of the bourgeoisie, hold pipes and metal jugs in their hands.

Jan Baptist Lambrechts was a Flemish painter known, above all, for his genre scenes (drinkers, cooks, maids, farmers dancing, etc.), especially those set in taverns and those known as "merry company" (groups dancing...). In his style, his fine brushstrokes and attention to detail stand out, as well as his mastery in the rendering of qualities. He was born in Antwerp and soon became an orphan, being able to train artistically thanks to his half-brother Jeroom Lambrechts, although he was practically self-taught. In 1703 he went to Lille, to sell paintings at the fair, but ended up traveling for years, until he returned to his hometown in 1709, reaching the rank of master in the Guild of St. Luke. His work is preserved in some private collections, as well as in institutions such as the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Osterley Park National Trust (England), Dudley Museum and Art Gallery, etc.