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Lot Essay
Joos de Momper was born in Antwerp in 1564. Both his grandfather, Joos the Elder, and his father Bartholomeus, were highly regarded painters and art dealers. From his childhood, Joos the Younger must have been familiar with the trade, not only in the production of paintings, but also with their sale. As early as 1581, at the age of 17, he was accepted as a member of the St. Luke's guild of painters. Following his membership, he is presumed to have made an Italian journey. On September 4, 1590, Joos married Elisabeth Gobijun in Antwerp. They had ten children, including Philippe, who was introduced to the art of painting by his father.
In the 1590s, the Court in Brussels became interested in De Momper and Archduke Ernst commissioned several paintings. In 1611, De Momper was appointed as dean of the St. Luke's guild in Antwerp. After the death of his good friend and colleague Jan Brueghel the Elder in 1625, Joos de Momper was regarded as one of the most important landscape painters in Flanders, and his popularity is reflected in his impressive production. De Momper died in Antwerp in 1635.
The present painting presents an engaging village square, graced by a snowy church, and animated by wayfarers, aglow in a soft winter light. Klaus Ertz dates this work to the second half of the 1620s, when de Momper painted a number of such winterscapes with harmonious, muted tonalities and relatively naturalistic topographies, compared to his more fantastic mountain wildernesses. These paintings typify de Momper's pivotal position in the Flemish landscape tradition, bridging the early mannerist panoramic vision and a later more earth-bound perspective. Ertz has attributed the figures in this painting to Jan Brueghel the Younger (op. cit., p. 256).
In the 1590s, the Court in Brussels became interested in De Momper and Archduke Ernst commissioned several paintings. In 1611, De Momper was appointed as dean of the St. Luke's guild in Antwerp. After the death of his good friend and colleague Jan Brueghel the Elder in 1625, Joos de Momper was regarded as one of the most important landscape painters in Flanders, and his popularity is reflected in his impressive production. De Momper died in Antwerp in 1635.
The present painting presents an engaging village square, graced by a snowy church, and animated by wayfarers, aglow in a soft winter light. Klaus Ertz dates this work to the second half of the 1620s, when de Momper painted a number of such winterscapes with harmonious, muted tonalities and relatively naturalistic topographies, compared to his more fantastic mountain wildernesses. These paintings typify de Momper's pivotal position in the Flemish landscape tradition, bridging the early mannerist panoramic vision and a later more earth-bound perspective. Ertz has attributed the figures in this painting to Jan Brueghel the Younger (op. cit., p. 256).