Lot Essay
Mattheus van Helmont was the son of a master in the Antwerp guild of St. Luke, and in c.1645/46, he too became a master in the guild. A genre painter, van Helmont was stylistically influenced by Adriaen Brouwer, David Ryckaert III, and David Teniers II. He specialised in painting interior scenes with peasants, and craftsmen at their work, and sometimes contributed staffage to the landscapes of Jacques d'Arthois. In 1674 he was recorded in the local guild of painters in Brussels.