(Antwerp 1611–1661)
The goddess Diana receiving the kil
signed at lower right: Joannes Fyt,
oil on canvas, 177 x 261 cm, framed

Provenance:
sale, Sotheby’s, London, 29th October 1986, lot 105;
with Pieter de Boer, Amsterdam (1987);
with Johnny van Haeften, London (1988);
sale, Tajan, Paris, 19th June 2001, lot 28;
with Pieter de Boer, Amsterdam (2005);
Private collection, Belgium

Exhibited:
Museum Zwijgerhoek, Sint-Niklaas, In het spoor van Rubens, 20th September 2009 - 31st January 2010

Literature:
D. H. van Wegen, Het Vlaamse Schilderkunstboek, Zwolle, 2005, pp. 298/99; In het spoor van Rubens, exhib. cat., Museum Zwijgerhoek, Sint-Niklaas, 20th September 2009 - 31st January 2010, p. 63

We are grateful to Fred Meijer for confirming the authenticity of the present painting, which is registered in the RKD database under no. 114515.

The present painting ranks among the important works of the animal and still life painter Jan Fyt (Joannes Fijt), one of the most influencial artists of the Flemish Baroque. He is mentioned as a student of Frans Snyders in 1629, by which time he had already become a master of the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp. Between 1633 and 1634, Fyt sojourned in Paris, from where he travelled to Florence and Rome via Venice. He settled in Rome, where he joined the ‘Bentvueghels’, a Dutch guild of painters. The artist returned to Antwerp in 1641.

As the most prominent pupil of Frans Snyders, from whose influence he freed himself relatively early on, Fyt´s compositions are more liberal than those of his teacher; they seem less composed and increasingly based on a direct study of nature. Fyt’s oeuvre had a decisive impact on the aestheticism of the Flemish Baroque, although some of his paintings betray classical traits. The works of this productive artist – more than 160 signed works by his hand are known – are marked by painterly refinement and a certain ‘bravura’. In many cases the figures in his mostly large-sized hunting pieces were executed by Erasmus Quellinus or Theodor van Thulden. Documents also prove occasional collaborations with Jacob Jordaens. The figures in the present composition were painted by an artist that has yet to be identified, probably Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert or Jan Boeckhorst.

Among Jan Fyt’s most prominent pupils were Peeter Boel and Jacques van den Kerckhove.

Provenance:
Sale, Sotheby’s, London, 29 October 1986, lot 105;
with Pieter de Boer, Amsterdam (1987);
with Johnny van Haeften, London (1988);
Sale, Tajan, Paris, 19 June 2001, lot 28;
with Pieter de Boer, Amsterdam (2005);
Private collection, Belgium

Exhibited:
Museum Zwijgerhoek, Sint-Niklaas, In het spoor van Rubens, 20th September 2009 - 31st January 2010

Literature:
D. H. van Wegen, Het Vlaamse Schilderkunstboek, Zwolle, 2005, pp. 298/99; In het spoor van Rubens, exhib. cat., Museum Zwijgerhoek, Sint-Niklaas, 20th September 2009 - 31st January 2010, p. 63

We are grateful to Fred Meijer for confirming the authenticity of the present painting, which is registered in the RKD database under no. 114515.

The present painting ranks among the important works of the animal and still life painter Jan Fyt (Joannes Fijt), one of the most influencial artists of the Flemish Baroque. He is mentioned as a student of Frans Snyders in 1629, by which time he had already become a master of the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp. Between 1633 and 1634, Fyt sojourned in Paris, from where he travelled to Florence and Rome via Venice. He settled in Rome, where he joined the ‘Bentvueghels’, a Dutch guild of painters. The artist returned to Antwerp in 1641.

As the most prominent pupil of Frans Snyders, from whose influence he freed himself relatively early on, Fyt´s compositions are more liberal than those of his teacher; they seem less composed and increasingly based on a direct study of nature. Fyt’s oeuvre had a decisive impact on the aestheticism of the Flemish Baroque, although some of his paintings betray classical traits. The works of this productive artist – more than 160 signed works by his hand are known – are marked by painterly refinement and a certain ‘bravura’. In many cases the figures in his mostly large-sized hunting pieces were executed by Erasmus Quellinus or Theodor van Thulden. Documents also prove occasional collaborations with Jacob Jordaens. The figures in the present composition were painted by an artist that has yet to be identified, probably Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert or Jan Boeckhorst.

Among Jan Fyt’s most prominent pupils were Peeter Boel and Jacques van den Kerckhove.