Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
Detail; A Skirmish in a wooded landscape
Oil on panel
60.6 by 84.8 cm.
Private collection
Sebastiaen Vrancx was pivotal for the development of battle and cavalry scenes in the Low Countries. He created a standard type for this genre that was soon to be followed by his contemporaries. Vrancx transformed the monumental, large scale battle scenes from the 16th Century into small size skirmishes. Instead of focussing on the heroics of chivalric imagery, Vrancx showed the cruel reality of warfare in the Eighty Years War. More on this painting
Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
An outdoor banquet, between circa 1610 and circa 1620
Oil on panel
Height: 91 cm (35.8 in); Width: 126 cm (49.6 in)
Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest
He was an apprentice in the workshop of Adam van Noort, who was also the master of other prominent Antwerp painters such as Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens and Hendrick van Balen.
Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
The Parable of the Blind
Oil on panel
49 x 36 cm. (19¼ x 14 1/8 in.)
Private collection
The title of this work refers to the parable of Christ addressed to the Pharisees in the Gospel according to St. Matthew (15, 13-14): 'Leave them: they are the blind who guide the blind! If a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a hole. It is also mentioned in the Gospel according to Saint Luke (6,39).
In thisParable of the blind , Vrancx is very influenced by Pieter Brueghel the Elder in whose workshop he worked. Vrancx often dealt with parables or proverbs: the Prodigal Son, the Beggars, most notably. More on this painting
In 1610 he was invited to join the elite Confrerie of Romanists, a society of Antwerp humanists and artists. He was elected the dean of the painter's chamber of the Guild in 1611.
Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
and
Jan Brueghel the Younger (1601–1678)
Assault on a convoy, c. 17th century
Oil on panel
Height: 48 cm (18.8 in); Width: 86 cm (33.8 in)
Prado Museum, Madrid
Soldiers, on foot and on horseback, advance toward the convoy approaching from afar; the groups, more compact than usual in Sebastián Vrancx, gain in structural unity, without losing their narrative charm. A shepherd with his flock of sheep and a vendor attacked by a soldier picturesquely burst into the fray, provoked by the regular army, under the command of a non-commissioned officer, identified by the boast and the bugle. Vrancx deals with the subject, a reflection of the reality of the end of the century. More on this painting
Vrancx was a member and district head of the local civil militia from 1613 onwards and was in 1626 asked by the Antwerp mayor to serve a five-year term as the captain of the militia in return for a complete exemption from taxes and municipal services.
Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
Battle of Wimpfen, between 1622 and 1647
Oil on canvas
Height: 115 cm (45.2 in); Width: 199 cm (78.3 in)
Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg
The Battle of Wimpfen was a battle in the Bohemian Revolt period of the Thirty Years' War on 6 May 1622 near Wimpfen.
In the Bohemian revolt phase of the Thirty Years' War, the Protestant Bohemian nobility refused to confirm catholic Ferdinand II as their king and had offered count Frederick V of the Palatinate the crown of Bohemia. Frederick was crowned in 1619 but lost the kingdom to Catholic League troops under General Tilly at the Battle of the White Mountain in 1620.
Due to disunity among Protestant princes the Protestant Union was forced to declare its neutrality in the conflict in the Treaty of Ulm in 1620 and dissolved the following year. More on Battle of Wimpfen
The combined forces of the Catholic League and the Spanish Empire under Marshal Tilly and Gonzalo de Córdoba defeated the Protestant forces of Georg Friedrich, Margrave of Baden.
Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
Battle of Wimpfen Stadtlohn, c. 1623
Oil on panel
25 by 37 1/2 in.; 63.5 by 95.3 cm.
Private collection
The scene shown here depicts a battle from the Thirty Years' War which took place on 6 August 1623, between Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly (on horseback bottom right), General of the Catholic League in the Thirty Year's War, and the Protestant General, Christian of Brunswick. The battle was fought in the town of Stadtlohn, a little over five miles short of the Dutch border. After a lengthy engagment in which more than six thousand soldiers were killed, Tserclaes' Catholic forces overran those of Chrisitan of Brunswick, though he himself would eventually escape, but not before losing a reported 13,000 troops. More on this painting
Sebastiaen Vrancx was probably the first artist in the Northern or Southern Netherlands who created depictions of battle scenes. His experience as an officer and captain of the Antwerp civil militia may have played a role in his interest in developing this genre. Approximately half of his known works are devoted to military scenes.
Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
Battle Scene, between 1600 and 1647
Oil on panel
Height: 44.5 cm (17.5 in); Width: 83 cm (32.6 in)
Limburg Museum, Antwerp
Battle in a hilly area, surrounded by trees and bushes. In the foreground: warring soldiers, on foot or on horseback. Many soldiers are killed or wounded on the ground. Some soldiers are killed and the dead are robbed of all their personal belongings including their clothes. On the hill to the left of the center, some soldiers on horseback watching. Soldiers on the right, one with a trumpet and a banner. On the left a trumpet player and a knight in armor.
Other versions in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg (see below), the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels (See below), the Musée de l'art wallon in Liège and the Heulens collection in Brussels.
Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
Battle Scene, between 1600 and 1649
Oil on panel
Height: 48 cm (18.8 in); Width: 86 cm (33.8 in)
Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Workshop of Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
Scenes of looting after the battle
Oil on oak wood
Height: 47.5 cm (18.7 in); Width: 86 cm (33.8 in)
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
By stylistic comparison this panel is dated before 1630 and after 1625, date of the death of Jan Brueghel the Elder and the resumption of his workshop by his son, eldest Jan the Younger (after L. Bolle in: 'Du dessin sous -jacent to the painting. Sebastiaen Vrancx and his collaboration with other masters')
Sebastian Vrancx and Studio (Antwerp 1573 - 1647) and Jan Breughel the Younger (Antwerp 1601 - 1678)
The aftermath of battle
Oil on oak panel, with a fleur-de-lys in the lower right corner
20 3/4 by 33 3/4 in.; 52.6 by 86 cm.
Private collection
This composition is known in several versions by Vrancx and his workshop. The best of these is probably the picture in the Musée d'Art Wallon, Liège (oil on panel, 46.5 by 85.5 cm.), while versions such as those in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, and Amsterdam, the Institut Collectie Nederland probably reflect a greater degree of studio participation. It is likely that all of the versions that have so far been traced are ultimately derived from a lost original painted entirely by Vrancx.
That the battle depicted is not likely to have been a specific event is underscored by the variety of heraldic emblems used: the Dutch flag in the foreground; the old form of the French fleur-de-lys beneath the trumpet to the right; and the slightly misunderstood Spanish arms beaneath the trumpet to the left. More on this painting
Vrancx met with personal tragedy when his wife and sole child Barbara died a few months from each other in 1639. He himself died on 19 May 1647 in Antwerp.
From the period 1611–25, he achieved greater control of the representation of space and of large and more complex groups of figures. Vrancx's mature style further features complex figure groups engaging within vast landscapes.
Follower of Sebastian Vrancx
The Battle of Lekkerbetje
22 ¼ x 36 ¾ in. (56.6 x 93.4 cm.)
Private collection
The Battle of Lekkerbeetje or Lekkerbeetken (5 February 1600) was a cavalry duel fought by pre-arrangement on Vughterheide near 's-Hertogenbosch, North Brabant, between 22 Brabantine cavalrymen loyal to Albert VII, Archduke of Austria, garrisoned in 's-Hertogenbosch, and 22 French cavalrymen serving in the army of the Dutch Republic.
In 1610 he was invited to join the elite Confrerie of Romanists, a society of Antwerp humanists and artists. He was elected the dean of the painter's chamber of the Guild in 1611. More on The Battle of Lekkerbetje
Studio of Sebastiaen Vrancx (Antwerp 1573-1647)
The Battle between Officers Breauté and Gerard Abrahamsz., called Lekkerbeetje, at Vught, 5 February 1600
Oil on panel
21 x 32½ in. (53.3 x 82.6 cm.)
Private collection
The painting depicts a notorious incident that occurred during the Eighty Years War after Bréauté, a French nobleman in the service of Prince Maurits of Orange, had insulted the Lord of Grobbendonck, the Governor of the pro-Spanish city of s'Hertogenbosch. A duel between the two was subsequently arranged and each arrived with twenty horsemen (the incident is also known as 'The Battle of the Forty'). However, it was soon discovered that Grobbendonck had sent his Lieutenant, Leckerbeetje, in his place. Enraged, Bréauté immediately killed him, whereupon a violent battle ensued, in which the Frenchman was eventually defeated and killed. More on this painting
One of the subjects to which he returned regularly was that of the Battle between Lekkerbeetje and de Bréauté on the Heath of Vught. The subject took its inspiration from an event that occurred on 5 February 1600 when an overly-confident young French commander by the name of Pierre de Bréauté was challenged to a duel by Spanish Cavalry Lieutenant Gerard van Houwelingen, known by his knickname Lekkerbeetje, after he supposedly claimed his own horsemen better than the Spaniard’s. The battle was fought on the Heath of Vught near the town of Vught, between the town gallows and the mill. Each side had 21 horsemen armed with swords and pistols. Lekkerbeetje was killed at the start of the engagement with a single pistol shot. During the skirmish the French suffered a total of 19 fatalities. Pierre de Bréauté was caught and then killed by his opponents. The subject of this battle became so popular at the time because it celebrated the by then essentially defunct chivalric practice of duelling.
Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
Soldiers plundering a farm during the thirty years' war, c. 1620
Oil on panel
Height: 50.8 cm (20 in); Width: 69.5 cm (27.3 in)
Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin
The Thirty Years' War was the first "original catastrophe" in German history and remained in the collective memory of Germans despite the terrible events of the two world wars. The numerous reports of the dissolution of state order, of brutal violence, epidemics, hunger and religious fanaticism have lost none of their urgency to this day. Famous generals like the Swedish king Gustav Adolf or Albrecht von Wallenstein have become legendary. Illustrations, documents, weapons and equipment from this time provide eloquent testimony for posterity. More on this painting
A subject matter closely related to the military scenes are his scenes of assaults by robbers on travelers and of soldiers plundering villages. An example is the Attack of Robbers (the Hermitage Museum). The picture narrates a scene of travellers on horses attempting to ward off an attack of robbers. Many of his scenes of ambushes reflect the helplessness of the civilian victims.
Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
The four seasons - Spring
Oil on canvas
Height: 102.9 cm (40.5 in); Width: 163.9 cm (64.5 in)
Private collection
Only recognised as by Sebastian Vrancx after its last appearance at auction in 1971, this preserved set of the Four Seasons constitutes the artist’s most monumental treatment of the subject and perhaps the most significant intact allegorical series in his painted oeuvre.
The iconography of the Four Seasons derives from medieval manuscript tradition, in particular from Books of Hours which were introduced by a calendar, listing the relevant liturgical feasts for each month, and were illustrated by images depicting the various activities or labours associated with that time of year. More on these paintings
Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
The four seasons - Summer
Oil on canvas
Height: 102.9 cm (40.5 in); Width: 163.9 cm (64.5 in)
Private collection
Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
The four seasons - Autumn
Oil on canvas
Height: 102.9 cm (40.5 in); Width: 163.9 cm (64.5 in)
Private collection
Sebastiaen Vrancx (1573–1647)
The four seasons - Winter
Oil on canvas
Height: 102.9 cm (40.5 in); Width: 163.9 cm (64.5 in)
Private collection
Vrancx created various series of paintings representing the Four Seasons or the Months of the Year. These paintings were very popular in Flemish painting in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. More on Sebastiaen Vrancx
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