Monkeys Playing in a Still Life, Flanders 17th century

A painter of genre scenes and portraits, he was a pupil of his father, Jan van Kessel I. In 1680, he left for Madrid, where he painted a portrait of Queen Marie Louise, wife of Charles II, and became court painter in 1686. His anecdotal and detailed style heralded the Flemish 18th century. In this work, he adopts his father’s style, renowned for its allegorical subjects, animals, flowers and still lifes.

Jan van Kessel II charmed his contemporaries with a brushstroke that was both lively and refined, blending perfectly with the copper supports he favoured. These still lifes are a striking example of this.

We see the contemporary fascination with the exotic in both the little monkeys and the broken Wanli bowl. A Wanli bowl is a piece of Chinese porcelain from the Ming dynasty (reigned 1573–1620), famous for its blue and white decorations, often characterised by compartmentalised designs or figurative landscapes. These bowls were intended for export. Inert and broken, the porcelain contrasts with the dynamism and vigour of the monkeys.