(Antwerp 1624–1694 Mantova)
An elegant company on a terrace,
oil on canvas, 65 x 94 cm, framed

Provenance:
Collection William Randolph Hearst (1863–1951), Hearst Castle, San Simeon, California;
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California;
Collection of Charles Aznavour (1924–2018)

Three of the four figures on the left can be found in a painting attributed to Frans Geffels which was offered at Bonham’s, London, 26 October 2011, lot 163.

A true polymath, Frans Geffels was a Flemish painter, printmaker, architect, stage designer and designer of ephemeral structures for solemn and festive occasions. After taking up his training in his native Antwerp, Geffels settled in Mantua, where he was appointed by Duke Carlo II Gonzaga to the position of prefetto delle fabbriche [Prefect of the Buildings], a role that required flexibility in his duties as a member of the court and enabled him to combine his multidisciplinary skills.

Although Geffels is mainly remembered as the designer of some of the key examples of Baroque architecture in Mantua, his painterly output included portraits, history subjects, military scenes, architectural scenes and genre scenes, in particular merry companies.