Guillam Forchondt "The Old Man" & Ferdinand Van Kessel

GUILLAM FORCHONDT "THE ELDER" (Antwerp, 1608–1678) & FERDINAND VAN KESSEL (1648–1696)
“The Abduction of Europa.”
Oil on copper.
Accompanied by an appraisal report prepared by the Soraya Cartategui Gallery.
It has a Dutch-style frame made of ebonized wood.
Measurements: 90 x 116 cm; 115 x 140 cm (frame).

This refined composition depicts an unusual episode in the iconography of the Abduction of Europa: the moment just before the abduction, when Zeus, transformed into a white bull, appears before Europa before leading her to Crete. In contrast to the more dramatic depictions of the myth, the artist opts for a serene and balanced interpretation, fully in keeping with the classicism developed by the Flemish school in the second half of the 17th century.
The work stands out for its sense of compositional order, the idealization of the figures, and the pursuit of a harmony reminiscent of classical antiquity. The arrangement of the figures on a single plane, the nobility of their gestures, and their restrained expression reveal a style far removed from the most exuberant Baroque dynamism. The rich yet balanced color palette and the uniform lighting help reinforce the serenity of the composition as a whole, while the idealized landscape, with its classical roots, serves as a harmonious frame for the scene.
The painting reflects the customary system of specialization in Antwerp workshops, the result of a collaboration between Guillam Forchondt the Elder, who was responsible for the figures, and Ferdinand van Kessel, who was in charge of the landscape. This practice, common in 17th-century Flemish painting, made it possible to bring together different specialists to achieve high technical quality and a greater diversity of pictorial techniques.

Guillam Forchondt the Elder (1608–1678) was one of the most prominent painters and art dealers of Baroque Antwerp. At the head of a major workshop and an extensive international commercial network, he contributed to the spread of Flemish painting throughout Europe and the Americas. His work is part of the Antwerp Baroque tradition, which built upon the great artistic achievements the city had attained during the first half of the 17th century.