Oil on wood
Netherlands, 1644
Jan van Ossenbeck (c. 1624-1674) – Etcher, graphic artist, landscape painter and painter of the Dutch Golden Age
Signed and dated in the fence ‘J. v. Ossenbeck 1644’
On the reverse with label Schloß Feldberg with object and inventory no., numbered label and red wax seal
Dimensions: 46.5 x 59.2 cm
Frame: 57.5 x 70 cm
Provenance: Johann Karl Freiherr von Egk und Hungersbach; acquired in 1679 by Prince Karl Eusebius of Liechtenstein (1611-1684); formerly Collection of the Princes von und zu Liechtenstein, Feldsberg (Valtice)
The highest hammer price at an international auction for an oil painting of the artist at same size is currently placed at more than €11,000

The Annunciation to the Shepherds by Jan van Ossenbeck from the year 1644 depicts a large Meyerhof with all kinds of cattle, the manner of painting being reminiscent of Antonio Bamboccio. The book of the Prince Karl Eusebius of Liechtenstein, whose collection the painting used to be part of, registers an acquisition from the artist already on July 29, 1667. The present painting is mentioned in the Liechtenstein inventories for the first time in 1712. It was located for a long time in Feldsberg Castle, the picturesque main residence of the royal house.

Literature

Manuscript inventory of the Estate of Prince Johann Adam I of Liechtenstein (1657-1712), 1712, no. 522

V. Fleischer, Fürst Karl Eusebius von Liechtenstein als Bauherr und Kunstsammler (1611-1684), Vienna 1910, p. 64, no. 12.

Condition

In the area of the sky and figures several overpaintings. The painting is newly varnished. At the right and lower margins are slight framing marks visible. The panel is built of three wooden boards, that are bent slightly concave. With chippings to the frame. The wooden panel measures 46.5 x 59.2 cm and the dimensions of the frame are 57.5 x 70 cm.



Jan van Ossenbeck (ca.1624-1674)

Jan van Ossenbeck was a painter of the Dutch Golden Age. In his youth he lived in Rome. Under the strong influence of the images of Pieter van Laer, Ossenbeck painted Italian landscapes with grottos and waterfalls, temples and ruins, populated with farmers, shepherds and cattle, as well as Italian fairs. He travelled to Rome between 1647 and 1655, where he joined the large Dutch artists’ colony. Later on he became a painter of the court in Brussels of the governor of the city Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. Ossenbeck moved together with Leopold Wilhelm to Vienna in 1656. The painter enjoyed great popularity not only at the court, but also amongst the high nobility. (tm)

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