(Frankfurt am Main 1624–1674 Amsterdam)
A classical garden with elegant figures,
signed and dated lower right: LINGELBACH/1663,
oil on canvas, 114 x 89 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, Germany, since the 1920s

The present work is a masterful example of the vivid, refined oeuvre of Johannes Lingelbach, one of the leading practitioners of the second generation of Bamboccianti, a group of Dutch genre painters who worked Rome in the wake of Pieter van Laer (1599–1642). The soft Italianate light which carefully articulates and shadows the forms of the fore- and midground figures and statues, along with the highly naturalistic rendering of the foliage behind are typical of the artist.

The fountain arranged in dramatic shade, beside an alcove within which reclines a river god, is an erudite capriccio, that recalls the noble and papal gardens of the time. The device of the Three Graces supporting the fountain’s basin, comes from a celebrated antique sculptural group that then stood in the cortile di belvedere. The peacock to the right atop an ornate monumental Roman vase skillfully closes off the picture. Beneath, the red cloaked figure compliments the recessional effect while the falconer next to him indicates the courtly return of a hunting party to the villa in the background. Lingelbach was highly sought-after for such figural invention and artful execution. He also painted staffage in the works of the landscapists such as those of Jan van der Heyden and Meindert Hobemma. It is possible that Lingelbach received his training from Phillips Wouwerman, whose landscapes have influenced his work. After working in Rome and Paris he eventually settled in Amsterdam, where he was a neighbour of Jürgen Ovens on the Reestraat.