"the Flight Into Egypt In A Winter Landscape," Joos De Momper II (antwerp, 1564–1635)

Oil on panel. Antwerp School of the first third of the17th century, attributed to Joos de Momper II.
In a vast, dreamlike snow-covered landscape, the Holy Family quietly continues its journey, almost absorbed by the immensity of the setting. Mary’s vibrantly luminous vermilion robe, like a beacon, draws theeye to the biblical scene. However, in keeping with the Flemish landscape tradition of the early 17th century, the sacred subject is no longer the sole object of contemplation; it becomes a pretext for evoking a teeming world where nature and human activities take center stage.
Under a sky laden with clouds that swirl and brim with electricity, the composition is organized around a unique village whose center lies on an island surrounded by frozen waters. This setting, with a geography that is both plausible and imaginary, is characteristic of the landscapes invented by artists from Northern Europe. Winter, far from freezing the scene, serves as a backdrop for a multitude of picturesque scenes. On the frozen expanses, residents indulge in the pleasures of sliding: some are skating, while others are playing kolf, a popular game played in the former Netherlands. This picturesque scene creates a subtle contrast between the silent solemnity of the Flight into Egypt and the carefree nature of village life. As is often the case in Flemish art, the sacred and the everyday coexist naturally within the same space.
The attribution to Joos de Momper II is based on several concordant stylistic elements. The panoramic composition of the landscape,the emphasis placed on the setting at the expense of the narrative subject, and the organization of space through successive paths are fully in keeping with the style of the Antwerp master. The treatment of the trees also appears characteristic: their supple branches seem to bend under the weight of the snow, a motif found in several of his winter landscapes. These observations find close parallels in the “Winter Landscape "at the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, in the winter landscape sheld at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, as well as in the “Village in Winter” at the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

Sold with invoice and certificate of authenticity.
This painting is set in a frame made of blackened and natural wood veneer.
Dimensions: 42.5 x 73 cm (panel) – 56.5 x 86 cm with frame

Biography: Joos de Momper or Joos II the Younger (Antwerp 1564– id. 1635) belonged to a dynasty of painters and art dealers. Thus, he learned to paint from his father, Bartholomeus. Admitted as a master painter to the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp at the age of 17, he became its dean in 1611. With a fresh perspective, both lyrical and powerful, his mountain landscapes enjoyed great success and established him as a major painter of his time. A trip to Italy, likely between 1581 and 1590, is believed to be the source of his vision for vast mountain panoramas. The sheer number of “Momperian” paintings is such that it is generally accepted that his studio was largely staffed by apprentices. Joos de Momper signed only a few of his works. His works are now on display in the world’s greatest museums: 4 at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, 5 at the Prado in Madrid, 4 at the Gemäldegalerie in Dresden, 5 at the Louvre in Paris, but also at the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the famous Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

Bibliography:
- ERTZ Klaus, Josse de Momper the Younger (1564–1635). The Paintings with a Critical Catalog of Works, Freren Lucas, 1986.
- VAN SUCHTELEN Ariane, *Holland Frozen in Time: The Dutch Winter Landscape in the Golden Age, WandersPublishers and Printers, 2006.
- MÜLLENMEISTER Kurt J., Meer und Land im Licht des 17. Jahrhunderts, Vol. 1, Carl Schünemann Verlag, 1973.
- GIBSON Walter S.,  Mirror of the Earth: The World Landscape in Sixteenth-Century Flemish Painting, Princeton University Press, 1989.
- METZGER Alexis, Winter in the Golden Age: Art and Climate, Sorbonne University Presses, 2019.