David Vinckboons

Private collection, Paris;
Private collection, Belgium;
With Galerie de Jonckheere, Paris;
Acquired from the above by the parents of the present owners in 1997.

K. Goossens, David Vinckboons, Soest 1977, p. 140, cat. no. 34, reproduced p. 71.

The panel is cradled, flat and secure, the paint surface is stable. In excellent overall condition, the varnish is clear and even. There are no major damages visible. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals very few, old scattered retouchings and strenghtenings. Offered in a wood frame with gold details in good condition.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Goossens (see Literature) dates this work to before 1604. As with Vinckboons’ other early works, the scene is constructed as a birds-eye panorama showing a lively village kermesse, the traditional church festival celebrated in the Low Countries. Such peasant subjects originated with Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1525–69) and constituted a major part of Vinckboons’ œuvre.

The artist portrays the wide variety of festivities taking place, from the revellers arriving by boat in the lower right corner, to the dense sweep of activity along the village square, and continuing into the distance of the upper right corner. Included are religious processions, stand-up performances, duelling, pranking, communal feasting, drinking and dancing, and the popular but cruel game of “tugging the goose”.¹ The highly animated scenes are interspersed with more intimate passages: a couple sitting in a shady corner and the numerous personal encounters taking place at doorways and by the water’s edge.

Vinckboons was a particularly accomplished draughtsman, which manifests itself in the way he painted. He used small energetic strokes to describe each of the tiny figures, their colourful clothing and expressive movements. Details in facial expression and gesture are still very discernible and make this work a particular delight to explore visually.

1. The game is called ‘gamstrekken’. See P. Zumthor, Daily Life in Rembrandt’s Holland, London 1962, p.168.