Abraham Janssens II

Anonymous sale, Berlin, Lepke, 8 May 1906;
With F. Gurlitt, Berlin, by 1925 (as Abraham Janssens I);
Anonymous sale, Berlin, Leo Spik, 26 June 2003, lot 329 (as Abraham Janssens I).

The large panel is cradled and appears to be constructed of four vertical planks. The paint surface is stable, and the varnish is even and clear. There are no major damages visible to the naked eye, and the picture is seemingly in good overall condition. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals lines of retouching along the panel joins. There is one patch of more concentrated restoration along the lower 15 inches (and approx. 3 inches wide) of the panel join 2nd from the left, that runs through the shadows just to the left of her right knee. There is a second more concentrated area of retouching in the cloud at the upper right. Otherwise scattered more minor retouchings and strengthenings throughout but her face, and the still life elements are all relatively untouched and are well preserved. Offered in a black dutch-style frame in fair condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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."

The allegorical figure of Spring appears here as a voluptuous lady, clothed in a magnificent, gleaming silk dress and colourful drapery. She wears an elaborately abundant floral headdress, holds a bouquet of tulips and chrysanthemums in her right hand, and delicately picks a rose from the basket beside her. This depiction corresponds with the description of Flora, goddess of flowers, under the heading of the season of Spring in Cesare Ripa’s Iconologia of 1603 (translated into Dutch in 1644). The entry cites a description from Giovanni Andrea dell'Anguillara’s translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses: '…decked with red, white, yellow flowers. / Her cheeks blush with Milk and Roses, / Her teeth are white as pearls. Coral sways about her lips: / She is decorated with flowers…'¹ The figure of Cupid, habitually connected with the goddess Venus, appears here to refer to the 'lustful Passion' of Spring alluded to later in the verse.

Abraham Janssens the Younger became a Master in the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in or around 1636 and also worked as an art dealer. After the death of Janssens the Elder in 1632, he took over the running of his father's workshop. The present work is likely to date from the mid 1630s, prior to his departure for Italy in 1639. Like his father, Janssens travelled to Rome and studied antique sculpture and the art of Michelangelo and Raphael. He lived and worked in the city for a period of about ten years up to 1649, at one point residing with his friend, the Dutch landscape painter Johannes Lingelbach.² In contrast to the more tenebrist style of his father, however, the Younger's independent paintings display an elegance and grace which reflect the work of perhaps Antwerp’s most influential painter, Sir Peter Paul Rubens.

It is quite possible that the present painting may once have been part of a series depicting the Four Seasons. The design of the present work reflects the popularity of the female personifications of the Seasons produced by the Janssens workshop. Other versions include, for example, that sold together with an Allegory of Autumn, New York, Sotheby’s, 14 October 1992, lot 104. It has been suggested that the flowers in this composition may have been painted by Janssens’ sister Anna Maria, (c.1605–after 1668), the wife of Jan Brueghel the Younger, who executed a number of signed still lifes.³

1. C. Ripa, Iconologia, of Uytbeelding des verstands, (trans. and ed., D. Pietersz. Pers) Amsterdam 1644, p. 506: '…Met root, wit geel gebloemt bespreet. / Van Melck en Roosen bloost haer wangh, / Haer tanden zijn als peerlen blanck. / ‘t Korael rontom haer lippen swiert: / S’ is met een bloeme-krans geciert…'

2. The artistic personality and work of Janssens the Younger will be more widely covered in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of works by Abraham Janssens the Elder, prepared by Dr. Joost Van der Auwera.

3. See F.G. Meijer and A. Van der Willigen, A Dictionary of Dutch and Flemish Still-Life painters working in oils, 1525–1725, Leyden 2003, p. 117.