GILLIS CLAESZ. DE HONDECOETER, successor of the 17th cent. (Antwerp c. 1575-1638 Amsterdam) Strollers in a wooded landscape. Circa 1615-20. Oil on wood. 36.7 × 57.5 cm. Provenance: - G. Ennik Collection, Küsnacht. - Swiss private ownership. Literature: Vlaamse schilder in de Noordelijke Nederlanden in het begin van de Gouden Eeuw, Antwerp 1987, no. 392, illus. p. 315, text p. 313 (as Gillis Claesz. de Hondecoeter). At the beginning of the 17th century, thanks to the numerous depictions by Gillis van Coninxloo the Younger (1544-1607), the woodland landscape developed into a motif in its own right in painting. Whereas forest views had previously been perceived as gloomy and threatening, the present painting already reveals a certain lightness, which is also emphasised by the strolling company, as is often found in works by artists of the following generation, such as Gillis Claesz. de Hondecoeter or Mattheus Molanus (1591-1645). The composition is known thanks to an engraving by Jan van Londerseel (1578-1625).