1036 - Frans Francken d. J.

Frans Francken d. J. Frans Francken the Younger The Arrest of Christ Oil on copper. 52 x 72 cm. Signed lower left: D° F. Francken. Provenance Private Collection, Belgium. Frans Francken II (the Younger) was the most important and celebrated member of the famous Antwerp family of painters. Together with his brother Hieronymus II, he trained under his father Frans I, and probably worked in the family studio before becoming an independent master in 1605. In 1616 he was appointed Dean of the Guild of St Luke. Before 1616 he signed his works as 'Frans Francken the Younger'; later – as in the present case – as 'the elder Frans Francken' or 'Douwe Frans Francken' ('DO'), to distinguish himself from his son Frans III. The present painting brings together several scenes. Prominently in the foreground, Peter is shown denying Christ. To the right, soldiers gamble and play cards for Christ's garments. In the background, Christ is brought before Caiaphas, the high priest. Francken here reveals himself as a consummate psychologist: Christ's gaze is directed not at Caiaphas, but at his disciple Peter, who is betraying him. The interplay of light and shadow – torches, lanterns, the breaking moon – lends the composition a quality that is at once menacing and intensely vivid. The handling of paint and the brushwork are fluid and animated, characteristic of Francken's late period.