FRANS II FRANCKEN dit le JEUNE (1581-1642)

Banquet scene Oil on parquet panel. Restorations. Dimensions : 73 x 97 cm Frans Francken the Younger belongs to a family of painters active in Antwerp for five generations in the 16th and 17th centuries. He was the fourth and most famous son of Frans Francken I, whose pupil he was, and it is difficult to differentiate their respective contributions, as their styles are very similar. The owner of one of the city's most prosperous painting workshops, where his sons Ambrosius and Frans III were employed, he was appointed master of the Antwerp painters' guild in 1605 and became its dean in 1614. His output consists mainly of small paintings, often dealing with mythological or allegorical subjects and historical and religious scenes, sometimes copied with some variations. He also painted landscapes and still lifes, always using a technique so refined that it met with success among collectors. He is also known to have painted some altarpieces in Antwerp.