Crucifixion
AMBROSIUS FRANCKEN II
(Antwerp 1590 – 1632)
Oil on panel
64 x 50 cm. (25,19 x 19,68 in.)
1610 ca.
Certified by Professor Jan de Maere
Our panel represents the crucifixion, one of the most recurring themes in Christian art with very evident iconography. The composition of the work is triangular, where the protagonist is Crucified Christ. We observe the painter’s great mastery in representing human anatomy, which reflects in a very plausible way every part of the body. Under Jesus it represents the skull, as an allegory of redemption from Adam’s sin and the birth of a new man. It is the emblem of the triumph of the cross over sin, with a clear allusion to the resurrection of Christ.
On the left, the Virgin Mary in a black cloak dedicates a prayer to her beloved son and on the right, Saint John the Evangelist crosses his hands and looks towards the Virgin. Beneath the cross, Saint Mary Magdalene kneels before Jesus, with a gesture of great pain at such horror.
Behind the main scene, we find two women holding each other, it would be the other two Marys: Mary of Cleophas and Mary Salome. In addition we also see two characters on horseback in oriental costumes, the soldiers who guarded the execution of Christ.
The entire scene is framed against an urban background, very recurring in the Calvary scenes. We observe a dark and turbulent sky as a symbol of what is happening, that surrounds the scene in a halo of sadness and pain.
Outstanding Flemish painter specialized in historical and religious painting. Little is known for sure about his life. He was known as the young man, in order to distinguish him from his uncle with the same name. He was the son of the well-known painter Frans Francken I (1542-1616) and most likely was his ward in the early years. In 1623-1624 he became a teacher of the Guild of St. Luke of the city of Antwerp.
In his initial works, we see a clear influence of his father, especially in the way he treats human figures, taking care of the anatomy and faces of the characters represented in his paintings. It is said that he spent a season painting in the city of Leuven, but there is no documentation of this fact.
We also know that on the death of the painter Abraham Govaerts (1589-1626), Ambrosius contributed to the realization of some figures in the landscapes that Abraham had left unfinished.
Ambrosius Francken II dedicated his career to painting high quality small religious scenes in the style of his brother Frans Francken II (1581-1642), but we also find genre scenes among his works.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
– Maere, J. Illustrated Dictionary of 17th Century Flemish Painters. Brussels, 1994, p. 164.
– Peeters, N. Marked for the Market? Continuity, Collaboration and the Mechanics of Artistic Production of History Painting in the Francken Workshops in Counter-Reformation Antwerp, Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek 50, 1999, p. 58-79.
– Peeters, N. From Nicolaas to Constantijn: the Francken family and their rich artistic heritage (c. 1550-1717), in: Family Ties. Art Production and Kinship Patterns in the Early Modern Low Countries, Turnhout 2012, p. 103-117.
– Rombouts, Ph. Les liggeren et autres archives historiques de la Guilde Anversoise de Saint Luc, Ámsterdan, 1961, vol.1 p. 596.
– Thieme, U. Becker, F. Allgemeines Lexicon der bildengen Künstler: von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, Catálogo razonado, Leipzig, 1619, vol. 12 p. 338
PROVENANCE
– Private collection, France.
MUSEUMS
There are works by Ambrosius Francken II in the museum collections of the following cities, among others: Kunstmuseum, Basel (Switzerland) – Billedgallery, Bergen (Norway) – Museum of Fine Arts, La Rochelle (France) – Museum of the Augustinians, Toulouse (France), etc.