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5 3 4 villagers pass the time by ice skating and curling. This famous motif takes its name from the clever bird trap depicted on the right, consisting of a wooden door tilted at an angle to the ground, with seeds scattered below to lure the birds. The completely snow-covered landscape and the frozen river refer to the ‘Little Ice Age’ that shaped the climate of the northern hemi- sphere and caused long, bone-chillingly cold winters during the decades around 1600. This landscape motif marks the beginning of an entire genre of win- ter paintings that enjoyed great popularity in the 17 th century. David Teniers the Younger entered the circle of the famous Brueghel dynasty in 1637 through his mar- riage to Anna Brueghel, a daughter of Jan Brueghel the Elder. ‘The alchemist in his workshop’ (ill. 3), is one of the highest-quality versions of this subject, which Teniers executed several times. The artist depicts a scholar in his laboratory, engrossed in his search for the mysti- cal ‘philosopher's stone’ with which base metals could be transformed into precious metals. The idea of the possible ‘fabrication’ of gold and silver has fascinated people for centuries. It is not difficult to see the element of caricature in Teniers’ depiction of the alchemist. Symbolic props such as an hourglass, a horse’s skull and empty purses allude to the vanity and futility of such an endeavour. This genre painting from the early 1660s, made dur- ing Teniers’ time in Brussels, has remained in the same Swiss family for more than 200 years. Marten van Cleve also started a pictorial tradition with his group portrait ‘Before the Wedding Night’ (ill. 4), painted in the 1570s, which was recently rediscovered in a German private collection. Here he captures the moment when the new bride is brought to the nuptial bed. The inscription attributed to the young woman – ‘I must laugh although it makes me want to cry ...’ – refers to her anguish at this life-changing event, that she attempts to dispel with a smile. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OLD MASTER PAINTINGS Karoline Weser weser@kollerauctions.com ONLINE CATALOGUES www.kollerauctions.com 3 David Teniers the Younger (1610–1690) The alchemist. Oil on canvas. 61 × 76.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 80 000/120 000 4 Marten van Cleve the Elder (1527–1581). Before the wedding night. Oil on panel. 76 × 106 cm. Estimate: CHF 50 000/70 000