Koller View 3/22

4 Preview of the Old Master Paintings auction on 23 September 2022 Cultural transfer across the Alps The exchange of culture between Northern and Southern Europe is an important field of historical research. Caravaggio (1571–1610) was a central figure within this exchange during the early Baroque period. His paintings became widely known north of the Alps through engravings and the work of north- ern artists who visited Rome. A ‘school of Caravag- gio’ was formed by such a group in the Dutch city of Utrecht around 1620. These Caravaggisti greatly influenced the following generation of artists, includ- ing Rembrandt, Hals and Vermeer. Dirck Jaspersz. van Baburen (1595–1624) was one of the most im- portant representatives of this movement. In the large-format ‘The Offering to Ceres’ (ill. 1), painted immediately after his return to Utrecht following an eight-year stay in Rome, the references to Caravag- gio are obvious: the dramatic contrast between light and dark areas (called chiaroscuro) created by side lighting, the predominantly earthy hues, and the real- festive event took place in Vivier dʼOye, south of Brus- sels, at the invitation of Archduke Albrecht VII of Aus- tria and Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain. Yet another season is the subject of the Venetian Ja- copo Bassano’s (1510–1592) ‘Allegory of Autumn’ (ill. 5), where baskets bursting with ripe fruit and vegeta- bles and the laid table indicate that it is harvest time. The Flemish painter Jan van Kessel the Elder (1626– 1679), a scion of the Brueghel family, also presents a sumptuous table in his small-format ‘Still Life of Fruit with Pastries’ (ill. 6), where two guinea pigs surprise us by feasting on the delicacies. 2 istic depiction of the fig- ures. Like his forerunner, van Baburen composes the scene in such a way that the characters are the focus and the viewer is drawn into the action – not least through direct eye contact. Another painting in the 23 September auc- tion by van Baburen’s contemporaries Jan Brueghel the Younger (1601–1678) and Pieter van Avont (1600–1652) is in a completely different style. Their ‘Holy Family Fleeing to Egypt’ (ill. 2) is situated in an idealised land- scape. Brueghel collaborated with Joos de Momper the Younger (1564–1635) on another work in the auc- tion: ‘Winter village landscape with frozen river’ (ill. 3), a subject that captures Northern European life during the ‘Little Ice Age’ that lasted from the early 14 th to the mid-19 th centuries, with its bone-chillingly cold winter days. In contrast, it is summery and cheerful at the aristo- cratic garden party depicted in large-format by Denijs van Alsloot (1570–1626) and his workshop (ill. 4). The 1 3