Balthasar COURTOIS (Antwerp, before 1607 - after 1641) Soldiers attacking a convoy of travellers Oil on oak panel, two boards Bears the marks of the castle, the two hands of Antwerp and the mark of the panel-maker Guilliam Gabron on the reverse (Restorations) Soldiers attack on a convoy, oil on oak panel, attr. to B. Courtois 20.87 x 33.66 in. 53.0 x 85.5 cm A pupil in the Antwerp painters' guild in 1607 and a freemason in 1614, Balthasar Courtois is last documented in the archives as an adviser to the confraternity of grooms in 1641. He was clearly influenced by his master Sébastien Vrancx, as can be seen from our painting, which should be compared with a similar composition recently exhibited in our galleries1. According to the caption on his portrait in Van Dyck's Iconographia, Vrancx specialised in painting small-format battle scenes. In our painting, it is not simple brigands, but soldiers terrorising travellers in anarchist bands, in the context of the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648) between Spain and the Republic of the Seven Provinces. As the King of Spain suffered a number of bankruptcies, his armies were often poorly paid, if at all, and frequently engaged in looting. Although this iconography was first developed by Roelant Savery and Pieter Brueghel the Elder, it was Sébastien Vrancx who gave full expression to this theme during the period when Balthasar Courtois was established as an independent master in Antwerp. In our painting, the forest décor shows a spirited brushwork, enabling it to be dated to the 1630s. During this period, Sébastien Vrancx also developed his style; under the influence of his pupil Peter Snayers, his brushwork became more dynamic from this period onwards. We would like to thank Joos van der Auwera for confirming the authenticity of this work in an email dated 24 October 2024 and for his help in writing this note. 1 - Anonymous sale; Paris, Artcurial, 23 September 2024, no. 223 (sold for €13,120) Attributed to Balthasar COURTOIS (Antwerp, before 1607 - after 1641) 53.0 x 85.5 cm A pupil in the Antwerp painters' guild in 1607 and a freemason in 1614, Balthasar Courtois is last documented in the archives as an adviser to the confraternity of grooms in 1641. He was clearly influenced by his master Sébastien Vrancx, as can be seen from our painting, which should be compared with a similar composition recently exhibited in our galleries1. According to the caption on his portrait in Van Dyck's Iconographia, Vrancx specialised in painting small-format battle scenes. In our painting, it is not simple brigands, but soldiers terrorising travellers in anarchist bands, in the context of the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648) between Spain and the Republic of the Seven Provinces. As the King of Spain suffered a number of bankruptcies, his armies were often poorly paid, if at all, and frequently engaged in looting. Although this iconography was first developed by Roelant Savery and Pieter Brueghel the Elder, it was Sébastien Vrancx who gave full expression to this theme during the period when Balthasar Courtois was established as an independent master in Antwerp. In our painting, the forest décor shows a spirited brushwork, enabling it to be dated to the 1630s. During this period, Sébastien Vrancx also developed his style; under the influence of his pupil Peter Snayers, his brushwork became more dynamic from this period onwards. We would like to thank Joos van der Auwera for confirming the authenticity of this work in an email dated 24 October 2024 and for his help in writing this note. 1 - Anonymous sale; Paris, Artcurial, 23 September 2024, no. 223 (sold for €13,120)