Mythological Wedding Scene - Signed Jacob Franse, circa 1720/30

Mythological Wedding Scene
Jacob Franse, active 1720/30
Signed "J.F. Franse fecit" lower right

Oil on panel
Early 18th century
Original gilt frame
Canvas 32 x 26.5 cm
Frame 47 x 40 cm
Excellent condition

This rare gem painted on panel depicts an evocative wedding scene, rich in characters and references to classical antiquity, in a typically mythological context. The two spouses are ritually united by an elderly priest beneath a splendid architectural structure and receive a crown of white flowers on their heads.
A large burning brazier in Arcadian style stands near the pile of wood ready for a good-luck sacrifice to the newlyweds. The idyllic landscape glimpsed in the distance through the trees is remarkably beautiful.
The painting's excellent condition highlights the exquisite quality of the work and the vividness of the artist's splendid colors.
The work is signed "J.F. Franse f." in the lower right corner on the stones of a base supporting the sacrificial pyre.
After careful research, we identified the artist as Jacob France, whose rare works have appeared on the market in very few auctions.
One of these is virtually identical to ours and depicts a very similar scene with the same precise measurements. (See "artprice" document).
At a 2014 Sotheby's auction, some drawings by this artist, likely working in northern France, bore the signature and the date 1723, clearly documenting his period of activity.
The work is painted on a single piece of walnut and is free of cracks and deformities, with no restorations or retouching of the paint.
It comes complete with its original gilded frame.