EGBERT LIEVENSZ VAN DER POEL (Delft, 1621 - Rotterdam, 1664) Village with burning house Oil on panel, 33.7X44 cm Provenance: London, Christie's, 8 July 1998, lot 155 (as Egbert Lievensz Van Der Poel) Milan, private collection Bibliography: https://rkd.nl/imageslite/582383 The style and character of the image suggest the Nordic origin of the author, a Flemish man active around the middle of the 17th century, and the theme was approached with a heartfelt naturalistic sensibility. The figures, as we can see, show the influence of Van Ostade, to whom we owe the twilight setting interrupted by the vivid colour accents of some of the garments. Poel became famous for depicting nocturnal views with fires and was also a painter of history, creating scenes in the best Dutch manner. Reference bibliography: A. Goldschmidt, Egbert van der Poel und Adriaen van der Poel, Oud Holland 40 (1923), pp. 57-66 F. G. Meijer, A dictionary of Dutch and Flemish still-life painters working in oils, Leiden 2003, p. 162