a) Banquet with Concert

b) Brawl

pair of oil paintings on canvas

50 x 59 cm – framed: 62 x 72 cm

Provenance: Bonhams London, Old Master Paintings 27 April 2016, lot 95, Estimate: 8,000/10,000 Euro

The lively and detailed scenes depicted in our pair of paintings, representing respectively a merry banquet and a brawl that broke out during a card game, bear the signature of Pieter Angillis (Dunkirk, 1685 – Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine 1734) - 'P Angellis F(ecit)’,- a French/Flemish painter of the Baroque and Rococo periods, renowned for his genre scenes and town markets.

Looking more closely, in the first painting we are likely witnessing a banquet or a musical celebration, a subject typical of 18th-century Flemish art. The group of people are chatting amiably around a laid table, with a musician in the centre playing the lute, addressing the woman leaning against the column. The composition includes typical elements such as food, pets (a dog, a small monkey and a parrot hanging overhead) and a large decorative vase in the classical style.

The second work, however, depicts the commotion of a brawl between two male figures, likely arising during or after a card game – another common theme in genre painting of the period, used to represent bourgeois or working-class life. In the centre, a visibly worried female figure tries to calm the standing man, who is ready to draw his sword, whilst in the background other characters interact animatedly and, on the right, a dog watches the scene anxiously.

These are two typical works by Pieter Angellis, whose painting was strongly influenced both by his training in his hometown, situated in the south of France, and by his travels around Europe, first to Antwerp, where he became a master of the Guild of Saint Luke in 1715, then in London for some sixteen years (c. 1719–1728) in the Covent Garden district, in Rome, Italy (1728–1731), and finally in Rennes, Brittany, where he achieved great success.

Thanks to these constant moves, his style was shaped by a diverse blend of influences, skilfully combining the Flemish meticulousness of David Teniers the Younger with the French elegance of Antoine Watteau.

His intelligent and never banal compositions are reflected in a striking sense of theatricality, driven above all by a narrative function achieved through a masterful use of light.

By way of comparison, we list below a few works – drawn from those published in the RKD catalogue – with which one can compare the compositional details: ‘Elegant Company in a Palace’ dated 1719 and ‘Musical Company on a Terrace’; both feature the same dog and the same classical vase; then ‘A Musical Gathering in an Elegant Setting’ with the parrot observing the scene from above; and finally ‘Elegant Company Playing on a Terrace, dated 1719’, a companion piece to the first listed, featuring the same red drape that surmounts the scene, concealing a stone bas-relief on the back wall.

Pieter Angillis, Sotheby’s, London, Important British Pictures, 13 June 2002, lot number: 4 (fig. 1)

Pieter Angillis, Sotheby's, Master Paintings and 19th Century European Art, 27 January 2017, lot number: 487 (fig. 2)

Pieter Angillis, Christie's, London, Old Master Paintings, 5 July 2006, lot number: 81 (image 3)

Pieter Angillis, Sotheby’s, London, Important British Paintings, 13 June 2002, lot 4 (image 4)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The works are sold complete with two antique gilded frames and are accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.

We arrange and organise the transport of purchased works, both within Italy and abroad, using professional and insured carriers.

It is also possible to view the painting at our gallery in Riva del Garda; we would be delighted to welcome you to show you our collection of works.

Please feel free to contact us for any further information.

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