(Malines circa 1510–1570)
A peasant wedding,
oil on panel, 112 x 159 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, Belgium

Frans Verbeeck (1510-1570) occupies an important position in the history of Netherlandish painting and was active between the careers of two of the most celebrated Netherlandish artists, Hieronymous Bosch (1450-1516) and Pieter Brueghel I (circa 1525/30-1569). Karl van Mander describes Verbeeck as being: ‘skilled in painting watercolour pieces in the manner of Bosch […]. From his hand we have some amusing peasant weddings and similar pleasantries’ (K. van Mander, Het schilder-boeck, Haarlem, 1604, fol. 228r: ‘desen [Frans Verbeeck] was fraey van waterverwe te maken dinghen op zijn leroon Bos […] Van hem ist datmen siet die drollige Boeren bruyloften en derghelijcke boosten’). Verbeeck was famed for his originality to such an extent that even since his earliest artistic production, he rivalled other Bosch followers, such as Pieter Huys and Jan Mandijn.

The most well-known work by Frans Verbeeck is ‘The Mocking of Human Follies’ that was sold in these rooms on 21 October 2014, lot 33. A number of works have been identified as being by him or his workshop, which seems to have been very successful in Mechelen throughout the 16th century and into the first decades of the 17th century. Jan Verbeeck I (1520-1569), Jan Verbeeck II (1545 - after 1619), and Frans Verbeeck II (active during the 17th century) were all members of his family. In 2003 there was an exhibition entitled De zotte schilders. Moraalridders van het penseel rond Bosch, Bruegel en Brouwer (Mechelen, Centrum voor Oude Kunst), which made some advances in identifying individual hands connected to the workshop. However, for the moment, compositions such as The Wedding Feast presented here are still considered as part of the production of the overall workshop.