(Munich 1564–1625 Augsburg) and(Brussels 1568–1625 Antwerp)
Diana and Actaeon,
oil on copper, 27 x 37 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private European collection

The present painting is accompanied by a certificate by Klaus Ertz.

The collaboration between the two painters, Rottenhammer and Jan Brueghel I, began in Rome around 1595 and seems to have ended in 1610, since no traces of this fruitful collaboration dating from after this point have been detected. Their cooperation marks the beginning of a new Flemish fashion: the collaboration between various specialists in one and the same painting, which flourished until the middle of the 17th century. Ertz dates the present picture to circa 1606 when both artists were almost exclusively painting on copper; Brueghel, who then lived in Antwerp, usually sent them to Rottenhammer in Venice, who subsequently returned them.

In most of the paintings resulting from this collaboration between Rottenhammer and Brueghel the figures were done by the former. Jan Brueghel I was a versatile and gifted artist, especially as a landscapist, but he did not have a talent for painting beautiful nude women. So it was understandable that he relied on the assistance of a colleague specialized in female nudes, which also holds true for the present composition.

It should be noted that all figures in this painting are by the hand of Hans Rottenhammer, whereas the landscape, with its flora and fauna, was painted by Jan Brueghel the Elder.