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Lot Essay
The pupil of his father, David Ryckaert II (1586-1642), David III became a master in the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1636, and was appointed Dean of the Guild in 1652; his brother-in-law, Gonzales Coques, was his pupil, and the Archduke Leopold William, governor of the Spanish Netherlands, was his major patron. Rijckaert began his career as a landscape painter but soon specialized in genre scenes under the influence of Adriaen Brouwer and David Teniers II. Many of Ryckaert's works are signed and dated, thus his artistic development from 1637 to 1661 is easy to follow.
Ryckaert's early genre scenes are in the manner of Brouwer. Between circa 1640 and circa 1650, Ryckaert's approach changed: rough peasant types were replaced by composed groups of dignified people, often engaged in musical activity. At the same time he borrowed new themes from other artists, as in The Alchemist (1648; Brussels, Musée des Arts Anciens), a subject frequently found in the work of Teniers. Under the influence of Teniers, Ryckaert also began to change his style, placing greater emphasis on different colours and decorative qualities, and imbuing his works with a more pronounced chiaroscuro. The present work dates from this period, generally regarded as the highpoint of Rychaert's career. It can be compared with such works as the Tavern Scene in the National Museum, Warsaw (1645), or the As the old ones sing, so the young ones pipe in the Gemäldegalerie, Dresden (1642).
Ryckaert's early genre scenes are in the manner of Brouwer. Between circa 1640 and circa 1650, Ryckaert's approach changed: rough peasant types were replaced by composed groups of dignified people, often engaged in musical activity. At the same time he borrowed new themes from other artists, as in The Alchemist (1648; Brussels, Musée des Arts Anciens), a subject frequently found in the work of Teniers. Under the influence of Teniers, Ryckaert also began to change his style, placing greater emphasis on different colours and decorative qualities, and imbuing his works with a more pronounced chiaroscuro. The present work dates from this period, generally regarded as the highpoint of Rychaert's career. It can be compared with such works as the Tavern Scene in the National Museum, Warsaw (1645), or the As the old ones sing, so the young ones pipe in the Gemäldegalerie, Dresden (1642).