Jan van Kessel the Elder

Provenance:

Private collection.

Registered with the corporation of the Guild of Antwerp in 1644, Jan van Kessel received the praises of Cornelis de Bie, who praised the “naturalness of his...

Provenance:

Private collection.

Registered with the corporation of the Guild of Antwerp in 1644, Jan van Kessel received the praises of Cornelis de Bie, who praised the “naturalness of his flowers that are so bright, so beautiful and so fresh, that one would like to pick them”, in his work Het Gulden Cabinet. Here, there are no flowers: fruit and vegetables are given the place of honour in this charming pair of coppers, which Jan van Kessel brings to life with pilfering monkeys, a guinea-pig and a small dog. Just like a naturalist, Jan van Kessel paints his work on copper, his favourite medium. Thanks to the finesse of this metal support, Kessel achieves a far higher degree of refinement compared with other works painted on wood or canvas. By superimposing fine layers of paint using the glaze technique, the painter obtains nuances of an astounding realism.

Our first painting featuring a Still life with a bowl of fruit and a monkey, perfectly illustrates the great tradition established by this painter. In the foreground, fruit and vegetables are dotted around the floor. On a table, a Wan-Li china bowl is about to fall, while a small monkey who has invited himself to the feast attempts to grab the grapes. A guinea-pig, who is clearly approaching to partake of the feast, takes him by surprise. The second copper panel shows a Still life with fruit and vegetables with a pilfering monkey and a dog. Based on the same principle, a monkey stealing apricots is disturbed in his misdemeanour by a small black and white dog. Here, the two accomplices look as though they are about to start a fight.

Just like a manifesto of Jan van Kessel’s art, this pair of coppers faithfully reproduces the abundance and richness of Antwerp’s tables in the 17^th century. The china bowls, the various piles of victuals, not to mention the troublemakers, are a delight for enthusiasts of this artist’s witty eloquence. Standing out magnificently from a dark black background, and dramatised by a subtle chiaroscuro, the precision of the contrasts of light and shade in the two paintings and the perfect  organisation of the feasts to which the painter invites the audience, are sure to amaze the viewer.