FRANS FRANCKEN the Younger and workshop (1581 Antwerp 1642) The Preaching of John the Baptist. Oil on wood. Signed lower right: D(i) ffranck IN [..] f. 30 × 38.7 cm. Expertise: Dr Ursula Härting, 31.1.2024. Provenance: - Unknown auction, probably France (labelled on verso). - European private collection, for four generations. Dr Ursula Härting confirms the authorship of Frans Francken the Younger after examining the original, for which we thank her. She surmises that the final reworking of the figure staffage in the background was the work of an employee in the extremely productive Antwerp workshop of Frans Francken the Younger. His sons Frans III (1607-1667), Ambrosius III (1614-1662) and Hieronymus III (1611-1661) could be responsible for this. Härting assumes that it was created around 1620. St John the Baptist is shown here in the centre, standing upright, with a slender figure, preaching the revelation of the Christian faith to a multifaceted audience. The different personalities, which are expressively depicted through physiognomic characteristics and a variety of details in the garments, are remarkable. A thin ray of light running diagonally from the trees from top left to bottom right guides the viewer's gaze into the distance, where the baptism is being performed by a river in front of a city silhouette. The nobly dressed noblewoman in the foreground, seated on a stone with a small child leaning against her, may be understood as a repoussoir motif that invites the viewer into the scene. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.