2044

The present painting shows the classical composition of the Flemish landscape in the first quarter of the 17th century. The left half of the picture with the resting hunting party is taken up by dense woodland, whose almost infinite variety is depicted in the most diverse shades of green, leaf and life forms - from lush, monumental oak crowns to expressive wooden forms of broken trunks and the delicately flowering ground vegetation. It is a painterly homage to the forest as both an indispensable resource and social recreation area, which emerged for the first time during this period.
On the right side, a wide river valley opens up, meandering past a landing stage and a town with playful architectural forms and finally leading to a mountainous landscape in the distant background. The typical colour play of earthy tones in the foreground, emerald green in the middle and bright blue in the background is particularly effective here.
Hunting experienced a significant resurgence of interest in the southern Netherlands at the beginning of the 17th century, encouraged by the hunting statutes enacted in 1600 and 1613 by Archduke Albert and his wife Isabella to protect forests and wildlife. The central scene of a resting hunting party in this painting offers a charming portrayal that provides a detailed glimpse into historical hunting customs: at the center sits a noble, elegantly dressed couple, highlighting that hunting in Flanders at that time was reserved for land-owning nobility and was also among the favorite leisure activities of the Habsburg archdukes. Given that such hunting depictions were particularly attractive to this exclusive clientele, it can be assumed that this composition was created for them as well.
On the narrow forest path leading to the clearing, hunting assistants appear with a falcon on their arms, surrounded by various breeds of hunting dogs, each depicted in detail. These dogs were used for flushing out and retrieving game. A historical curiosity is the rarely depicted falcon carrier (also known as a “Cage” or "Catsche" in German). This wooden-framed device, with the hooded falcons sitting on it, was carried into the hunting area by a bearer (the "Gageträger") who stood centrally within the framework secured by straps. "Falconry, that is, hunting with trained falcons for game birds, had belonged to the ‘noble,’ emotion-free art of hunting since antiquity, which could be pursued in the company of ladies" (cf. Ursula Härting, 2008: Noble Jagdstillleben. Beginn und Blüte, pp. 215-223, in: Die Magie der Dinge, Stilllebenmalerei 1500-1800, Ausstellung: Städel Museum 2008, Kunstmuseum Basel 2009, p. 215ff.). Finally, the prominent placement of the "birds" near the closely positioned couple further emphasizes the additional, for contemporary viewers clearly readable erotic component of the painting.
Alexander Keirincx, a native to the city of Antwerp, completed his apprenticeship with Abraham Govaerts (1589-1626), the quintessential Flemish ‘forest painter’. He became a master himself in the Antwerp Guild of St Luke as early as 1618/19, but continued to work with Govaerts, as evidenced by collaborative works signed by Keirincx himself. The present painting dates from this early period of Alexander Keirincx and can be unmistakably attributed to him through its characteristic stylistic features, including the use of steel-grey tones in the typically smooth tree trunks and the detailed, small-scale elaboration of the background.
So far, the composition was only known through two other works: one is a later copy created around 1700 by the Bohemian landscape painter Johann Jakob Hartmann (1658-1736), who specialized in reproducing and working in the style of traditional Flemish landscapes from around 1600 (Christie’s London, April 21, 1989, Lot 62A, oil on wood, 58 x 89 cm). Additionally, there is a panel offered as a work by Abraham Govaerts with larger dimensions (Christie’s London, December 15, 1978, Lot 123, oil on wood, 74 x 105 cm), which, based on surviving photographs, can now also likely be attributed to Alexander Keirincx (see Ursula Härting and Kathleen Borms, Abraham Govaerts: Der Waldmaler (1589-1626), Antwerp 2003, pp. 62f.).