Susanna and the Elders, oil on panel, on the reverse of the panel the Antwerp panel maker stamp, 50 x 64.5 cm, framed

Certificate:
Dr Klaus Ertz.

In this work by Jan Brueghel the Younger, a Baroque palace garden serves as the stage for the story of Susanna and the Elders from the Old Testament. The left side of the painting is dominated by a well by which Susanna, rendered in the nude, combs her hair and is harassed by two lustful elders approaching her. The artist seized the garden as an opportunity to present his rich repertoire of flowers, plants, and birds and depict them in their great diversity and beautiful colours. Jan Brueghel the Younger frequently painted such palace gardens. They provided a stage for both religious scenes as the present one and mythological themes. Klaus Ertz dates the present painting to 1640 and assumes a follower of Hendrick van Balen as the painter of the figures. At the time, Jan was gradually detaching himself from his father’s meticulous and miniature-like manner of painting in favour of a more liberal and coarser brushwork, although he retained the characteristic features that made him so popular: the layers of colours, applied in soft glazes, create an illusion of depth also in smaller details, while the jewel-like colours and the abundance of detail are apparent. The present picture is an example of Jan Brueghel the Younger’s mature painting style. The brushwork is quite painterly, yet the son cherishes his father’s legacy in terms of detail. Although he remained close to his father as far as his motifs are concerned, he reformed the latter’s style, adapting it to the taste of his time and replacing the prevalent style of Mannerism by a more realistic and simplified manner of painting.