Théobald Michau Tournai 1676 - 1765 Antwerp

Anecdotal landscapes such as this, along with those of the artist's contemporaries, including Karel Beschey and Josef van Bredael, are heavily reliant on and continue the tradition of landscape painting begun by Jan Brueghel the Elder at the end of the sixteenth century. Michau exclusively painted small cabinet-sized pictures, on copper or panel, as dictated by the fashion of the 18th century. Many of his original compositions were engraved by Jacques-Philippe Lebas and his students, and he contributed the figures to the works of several artists including Jacques d'Arthois.