(Antwerp 1580–1662)
The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John in a wooded landscape,
oil on canvas, 55 x 36.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, USA;
sale, Sotheby’s, New York, 4 June 2015, lot 2;
where acquired by the present owner

We are grateful to Klaus Ertz for suggesting the attribution of the present painting. It will be published as a work by Stalbemt from the first decades of the seventeenth century in a full-colour page as cat. no. 286a in his forthcoming catalogue raisonné.

The present painting demonstrates Stalbemt’s closeness to the oeuvre of the Brueghel dynasty. The composition and details are reminiscent of the best works of Jan Brueghel I. Stalbemt’s style has been described as eclectic, as it shows the influences of various artists, such as Jan Brueghel I, Jan Brueghel II, Hendrick van Balen, Paul Bril, and Adam Elsheimer. His landscapes are also influenced by Gillis van Coninxloo – the way the present painting is composed is very close to works by Coninxloo. The artist was born in Antwerp. Following the fall of the city to Catholic troops in 1585, Stalbemt’s family moved to Middelburg. He returned to Antwerp after 1609, probably after the Twelve Years’ Truce. He was admitted in 1610 as a master of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke and in 1617 he was elected dean of the guild. He worked on commissions for the art dealer Peter Goetkint II, for whom he executed several cabinet paintings. Cornelis de Bie reported that King Charles I of England had invited the artist to England. During his stay in 1633 he painted two views of Greenwich with the King and Queen Henrietta Maria (Royal Collection). Adriaen van Stalbemt was a versatile artist who was active as both a painter and a print maker. He was mainly known for his landscapes, which typically included religious, mythological, and allegorical scenes. Only a small number of his works are dated, which makes it difficult to establish a chronology. One of the reference works for attributions is the Feast of the Gods in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, which is signed and dated 1622. A work showing Jan Brueghel I’s influence is the Landscape with Fables in the Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp. This is reflected in Stalbemt’s meticulous brush technique and the miniature treatment of details. Alongside Abraham Govaerts, Adriaen van Stalbemt is considered one of the best followers of Jan Brueghel I.