(Antwerp 1623 – after 1679 Brussels)
A guardroom interior with a scene from the Life of Saint Peter,
oil on panel, 41 x 55 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, France;
art market, France;
where acquired by the present owner

The present picture is accompanied by a copy of a certificate by Jan de Maere (dated 11 November 2021) confirming the attribution to Mattheus van Helmont.

The present work draws on a rich tradition in Flemish genre painting, that of a biblical scene unfolding in a rich and varied contemporary setting. Executed by the Antwerp painter Mattheus van Helmont, who was also active in court circles in Brussels, the current picture, shows what appears to be the interior of a tavern with, to the left, a scene from the Life of Saint Peter, while in the foreground card players add the sense of realism and narrative diversity of the composition. Finally, the seated soldier to the left stares out at us, rendering the spiritual narrative a matter of living faith.

The prototype for this scene is the work by David Teniers the Younger (signed and dated 1646) and conserved in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. The present picture is characterised by van Helmont’s warmer palette and more rapid executions.