Frans Wouters (1612/14 - 1659)

Flemish painter Frans Wouters was one of the major collaborators of Peter Paul Rubens and transformed his monumental creations into a small format cabinet painting. He was court painter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and the Prince of Wales (the future King) Charles II. He also served as an ambassador and art dealer, and in 1635 became a master of the Guild of St. Luke. Wouters’ style and thematic focus reflect the tastes of his international aristocratic clients, who preferred smaller formats and decorative landscapes and mythological scenes. The painting is a cabinet version of a large Rubens painting from 1633, which originally decorated the high altar of the Jesuit church in Ghent and is now located in the collection of the Musées Royeaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. (expert opinion: Dr. Klaus Ertz, Lingen)