Peter Gysels

Provenance:

• Mrs. Elisabeth Tilson (died 1840);

• Sir Thomas Tilson, 29 Coleman Street, London, and South Road House, Clapham Park, Surrey;

• inherited by his wife, Dame Marie Tilson, in...

Provenance:

• Mrs. Elisabeth Tilson (died 1840);

• Sir Thomas Tilson, 29 Coleman Street, London, and South Road House, Clapham Park, Surrey;

• inherited by his wife, Dame Marie Tilson, in 1874;

• then in 1892 by his nephew, Tilson Lee Esq.;

• then by Mrs. Ada Hestyer Lee (died 1924), Westfield House, Lewis, Susssex;

• then by her eldest daughter, Patricia Rosamund Landon Lee.

This charming village scene expresses the extent of the talent of Pieter Gijsels, automatically placing him among the best Breughelian epigones.

Nevertheless, an independent personality expresses itself in this painting.

We can feel the activity around the central pole through the dancing figures, and the highlights placed on the villagers. In this scene, Gijsels focuses essentially on the figures and human activity, more than on the landscape whose masses of foliage fade into the shadows.

Lit by a soft light, these contrasts are created by a very delicate harmony of colours. Gijsels’ meticulous technique produces an innovative lighting effect, which he emphasises in his delicate rendering of the landscape in the far distance.

This scene is particularly pleasing, and we can feel the joy of the villagers dancing around a pole, ready to hoist a white flag. In the background, the same dancing scene appears, where the characters hold hands, a sign of solidarity between them. The children also participate in this warm, family atmosphere.

This work is similar to the one portraying a Kermesse, kept at the Museum of Antwerp.

This pictorial and chromatic quality is the most revealing example in the work of Gijsels.