Gysbrecht Leytens Antwerp 1586 - before 1656

Paintings by this hand were formerly ascribed to an anonymous master known under the pseudonym 'The Master of the Winter Landscapes'. P.F.J.J. Reelick was the first to tentatively identify the artist with Gysbrecht Leytens in an article over half a century ago (see Oud Holland, 1942, vol. LIX, pp. 74-79), and this opinion was subsequently confirmed by Dr. Ursula Härting with the discovery and publication of a signed work (see U. Härting, 'Der Meister der Winterlandschaften, der Maler Gysbrecht Leytens', in Die Kunst, 1988, vol. I, p. 27). This is a typical example of the artist's work and the rows of trees in the background are repeated in another painting by Leytens sold in these Rooms, 11 December 1991, lot 53.