The Younger a Country Festival Near Antwerp

Artist: After David Teniers the Younger (Belgian, 1610 - 1690)

Original Dimensions: 35 3/8" x 49 1/4"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (After 1646) "Country peasants and smartly dressed gentlefolk assemble for a feast on the rolling hills outside Antwerp, seen silhouetted on the horizon. Cooks are busy preparing the meal in large cauldrons while birds wheel in the sky above, anticipating the pickings soon to be had. A stone cross carved with the image of the Virgin and Child is adorned with wreaths, suggesting that this is a religious celebration. This composition is almost identical to a painting in the collection of the Duke of Bedford, which is signed by David Teniers the Younger and dated 1646. Though this version bears many characteristics of Teniers’ style, it is of lower quality; it is most probably a copy made in the master’s studio. The genteel group on the lower left have traditionally been identified as Teniers’ family, although some of the same figures appear in A View of Het Sterckshof near Antwerp, where they are thought to represent Jacob Edelheer, the city secretary of Antwerp, and his family." - (National Gallery of Art, London)