BALTHASAR VAN DEN BOSSCHE
Antwerp, 1681 – 1715
The sculptor’s studio
oil on canvas, cm. 70×83.5
Signature and date (1710) on bottom right
This painting, depicting the atelier of Giambologna (1529-1608), as suggested by the presence of the sculpture of the Ratto delle Sabine, is a fine work by the Flemish painter Balthasar van den Bossche. In the painting, we can observe a dynamic scene, in which two richly dressed men observe the statue, indicated by a third, perhaps a fictional representation of Giambologna, while two stonemasons and a servant are intent on work. Behind this group of figures, the spatial and architectural construction imitates a Renaissance loggia, albeit of a tendency for capriccio.
Van den Bossche trained under the painter Gerard Thomas (Antwerp, 1663-1720), from whom he inherited the interest in elegantly furnished bourgeois settings, namely the symbols of the prosperity and artistic sensibility of his patrons. Enrolled in the Antwerp Guild in 1697, the painter was active in Paris until 1700, where he opened his own studio and combined painting with his activity as an art dealer. The success of his works was undoubted, that he obtained the patronage of illustrious personalities such as the Duke of Marlborough. In his works, van den Bossche favoured the depiction of ateliers and art galleries, where young artists were intent on drawing, sculpting or painting classical models, following a fashion that was widespread in the Dutch and Flemish spheres in the 17th century, as inaugurated by artists such as Frans Francken the Younger and Jan Brueghel the Elder.