Ambrosius II Francken (Antwerp after 1581 - 1632)
A Construction Site
oil on canvas, laid down on panel
29 x 58 cm
Little is known about Ambrosius II Francken, who was also called ‘the Younger’, to distinguish him from his uncle of the same name. He was born at Antwerp in the...
Little is known about Ambrosius II Francken, who was also called ‘the Younger’, to distinguish him from his uncle of the same name. He was born at Antwerp in the latter part of the 16th century into an artistic family. He studied under his father, Frans Francken the elder, whose style he imitated; his brother was Frans Francken the Younger, arguably one of the most important Antwerp baroque painters. In 1624 Ambrosius was registered as a master in the Guild of St. Luke at Antwerp, and he is said to have painted some time in Leuven. He died in 1632.
The present painting’s subject matter is quite unusual: a depiction of an early seventeenth century construction site, showing us different stages of building, painted in grisaille. Although no signed works by Ambrosius Francken are known, he is often mentioned in old inventories as a painter of grisailles. In the Francken workshop, these were often painted as a frame around a biblical subject; the present grisaille however was painted as an independent painting.