Isaac van Oosten Antwerp 1613 - 1661

In the collection of the family of the present owners since at least the 1930s.

This and the following seven lots, representing scenes from the Book of Genesis ranging from The Creation to The Building of the Ark, have been together in a private collection in Spain since at least the 1930s. They were all produced in Antwerp, probably during the 1650s, and share in common the large-scale copper panels which were clearly the preferred choice of support for paintings of this type produced for the Spanish export market. Both in handling and choice of subject matter, they recall the late works (also from the 1650s) of Jan Brueghel the Younger, whose paintings of this date also found a ready market in Spain.

Isaac van Oosten's oeuvre consists principally of Flemish landscapes in the tradition of Jan Brueghel the Elder. The present painting, which is a particularly fine example of the artist's work, is one of relatively few religious scenes by the Antwerp master and appears to be an entirely autograph work, including the staffage, which in the subsequent two lots appears to be by a specialist figure painter.