#crawlies

                                    A Life (Jan van Kessel the Elder)

“Jan van Kessel the Elder or also Jan van Kessel I came from a great dynasty of painters. On his father’s side he descended from Hiernonymus van Kessel and his mother was a daughter of Jan Brueghel the Elder. This also made him the great-grandson of Pieter Brueghel, the nephew of Jan Brueghel the Younger and the nephew of David Teniers the Younger. The family sent him to Simon de Vos as an apprentice when he was 9 years old. His further education then took place largely within the family.

Van Kessel was a painter obsessed with detail. Especially his still lifes and animal motifs, including various insect studies such as “Still Life Study of Insects on a Rosemary Branch” were of almost scientific accuracy. This made his works very popular throughout Europe. Van Kessel could charge good prices and sell many paintings. This enabled him and his family to live a good, secure life. However, after the death of his wife in 1678, the financial situation deteriorated increasingly. Van Kessel was too old and too ill to be able to paint. He was finally forced to mortgage his house. He died at the age of 53 and left behind a large mountain of debts.”

Sample Works:

1. A still life with sprig of  Redcurrants, butterflies, beetles, caterpillar and insects 

2. Still life of branch of gooseberries, with a butterfly, moth, damsel fly and other insects

3. Butterflies, moths and other insects with a sprig of periwinkle

4. A sprig of redcurrants with an elephant hawk moth, a magpie moth and other insects

5. Insects 

6. The Enemies of Snakes

7. Insects 

8. Butterflies and other insects

9. Three Butterflies, a Beetle and other Insects, with a Cutting of Ragwort

10. A Dragon-fly, two Moths, a Spider and some Beetles, with wild Strawberries

Moth Macro!