The Burning Church And The Farm Fire – Attributed To Daniel Van Heil (1604 – 1662)

Pair of oils on canvas. Flemish school of the 17th century.
The viewer who contemplates these precious paintings can almost hear the crackling of the flames devouring the houses and smell the acrid smell of smoke that invades the atmosphere, so realistic are the scenes and the dramatic intensity pushed to its paroxysm.
At first glance, and because the fire scenes made their reputation, one inevitably thinks of Egbert van der Poel (1621 – 1664) or Daniel van Heil (1604 – 1662). But the opening of the composition onto distant landscapes lit by moonlight and the subtle chiaroscuro may lead us to another master of the genre, Aert van der Neer (1603/04 – 1677), who also painted nocturnal fire scenes. However, upon closer examination of the works and the technique deployed by our painter, van Heil's mark becomes evident in the following elements: a thick, dark bold line outlines the silhouettes and decorative elements, figures with a particular typology that are not those of van der Poel and the redness of the fire that opposes the moonlight and brings warmth to the cold night. One of the two compositions that we present is also halfway between Daniel van Heil's two favorite themes: the winter landscape and the fire scene.

Unusually, the two paintings are presented in a genuine pair of Dutch guilloché frames in blackened wood from the 17th century. Dimensions: 19 x 26.5 cm for one, 20.5 x 28.5 cm for the other. 39 x 47 cm maximum with frame

Biography:
Daniel van Heil (Brussels 1604 – Id. 1662) is a Flemish artist. Nothing is known about the apprenticeship period of the son of the painter Leo van Heil, but we do know that he was admitted as a master at the Guild of Saint Luke in Brussels in 1627. Among the six students trained in his workshop, four would become masters in their turn. His brothers, Leo and Jan-Baptist, and his son Theodore were also painters. Praised during his lifetime, Daniel is known for his compositions representing fires, snowy landscapes or landscapes with ancient ruins, pretexts to illustrate mythological scenes (the Fall of Troy, the Flight of Aeneas with his father) in which he enjoys creating vivid contrasts of light. His landscapes are often winter views where he likes to contrast the white of the snow with the ochre tones of the earth. He does the same by contrasting the cold grays of the night with the orange-yellows of the flames in his nocturnal fire scenes. The different genres tackled by Daniel van Heil show a clear sense of composition and good work.

Bibliography:
- Schulz, Wolfgang, Aert van der Neer, Davaco Aetas Aurea, Vol. XVIII, 2002.
- Brown, Christopher, Dutche Landscape, the early years, Haarlem and Amsterdam 1590 – 1650, National Gallery, 1986.
- Thiery, Yvonne, Les Peintres flamands de paysage au XVIIe siècle, le Baroque anversois et de l’école bruxelloise.