(Antwerp 1570–1622 Frankfurt am Main)
The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis,
oil (en grisaille) on canvas, 60 x 102.5 cm, framed

Alexander Wied, Vienna, has endorsed the present painting as an autograph work by Gillis van Valckenborch. A certificate (July 2016) is available. This painting en grisaille, which dates from around 1600, is a bozzetto for a signed work by Valckenborch in an American private collection. Its overall composition is identical to that of the finished painting in the United States. Wied writes: “The composition is balanced despite the crowded scene; the nude figures are skilfully rendered and elegant and seem to emulate those of B. Spranger, except for their faces, which are somewhat bloated. The clouds, on the other hand, are most delicately executed throughout. In this banquet of the gods, Neptune […] and a youthful Bacchus can be identified in the left foreground; to their right appears the goat-legged Pan, followed by Mercury on the far right. Further deities include Vulcan and Venus seated at the table, the winged Cupid in the company of Mars, Vesta (?), Jupiter, Juno, Saturn (?), the helmeted Minerva, and other gods that cannot be identified with certainty […]. What is crucial for identifying the present wedding scene is that Peleus and Thetis are in the presence of Eris, the goddess of discord; her appearance in this wedding is essential, for Eris was the only one who had not been invited to the banquet. Insulted, she sought to ignite a fight among the divine guests. Eventually she would toss a golden apple inscribed ‘To the fairest one’ into the party.”