Jan Van Kessel

JAN VAN KESSEL (Antwerp, 1626- 1679).
"Still life", ca. 1640.
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Attached report issued by Dr. Klaus Ertz.
Signed J.V. Kessel F on the clay bowl at the center left.
Measurements: 103 x 82 x 2.5 cm.

We are in front of a variegated composition centered in a clearly delimited space, in which the illusionist taste of Jan Van Kessel stands out, who superimposes some fruits on others, together with some cacharos and even a parrot of showy plumage. The ceramics and glass elements show Van Kessel in his mature stage, taking into account that he could have created the present canvas around 1640. The grapes, artichokes, oysters, quinces and dates reflect the painter's chromatism, texture and mastery. The scene is bathed in a golden atmosphere typical of his painting.

Jan van Kessel "the Old", was a Flemish painter active in Antwerp in the mid-seventeenth century. A versatile artist who practiced in many genres, including insect studies, floral still lifes, marines, river landscapes, paradise landscapes, allegorical compositions, animal scenes and genre scenes. A scion of the Brueghel family, many of his subjects were inspired by the work of his grandfather Jan Brueghel the Elder, as well as the previous generation of Flemish painters such as Daniel Seghers, Joris Hoefnagel and Frans Snyders. Jan van Kessel the Elder was born in Antwerp as the son of Hieronymus van Kessel the Younger and Paschasia Brueghel (the daughter of Jan Brueghel the Elder). He was, therefore, Jan Brueghel, the grandson of the Elder, Pieter Bruegel, the great-grandson of the Elder and the nephew of Jan Brueghel the Younger. His direct ancestors in the van Kessel family line were his grandfather Hieronymus van Kessel the Elder and his father Hieronymus van Kessel the Younger, who were both painters. Very little is known about the work of these van Kessel ancestors. At the age of only 9, Jan van Kessel was sent to study with the history painter Simon de Vos. He also trained with family members who were artists. He was a pupil of his father and his uncle Jan Brueghel the Younger. In 1644 he became a member of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke, where he was registered as a "blomschilder" (flower painter). He married Maria van Apshoven on June 11, 1646. The couple had 13 children, of whom two, Jan and Ferdinand, were trained by him and became successful painters. He was captain of a local schutterij (civil guard) in Antwerp. Jan van Kessel was financially successful as his works commanded high prices. He bought in 1656 a house called Witte en Roode Roos (White and Red Rose) in the center of Antwerp. When his wife died in 1678, his fortunes seem to have worsened. In 1679 he had to mortgage his house. He was too ill to paint and died on April 17, 1679 in Antwerp. He trained other painters and also his own family members. His pupils included his sons Jan and Ferdinand.