Frans Boels

Frans Boels was the stepson and pupil of Hans Bol, whose influence on Boels' technique and style is very evident in compositions such as this. Especially if they are not signed, the works of the two artists can easily be confused, but there is a certain distinctive freedom of handling in Boels' best works, and the visible use of black chalk underdrawing is also something that is not found in the gouaches of Hans Bol. Extremely few signed works by Boels are known, and this very fine example is of great importance in defining his style and achievements as an artist, permitting the attribution to him of unsigned works traditionally given to Bol, such as the following lot.¹The mythological subject, typically subsidiary to the landscape elements of the composition, is drawn from Ovid's Metamorphoses.  According to Ovid, Diana had sent an enormous wild boar to ravage the region of Calydon as punishment after the king failed to make the promised sacrifices to her. The king’s son, Meleager, was an experienced hunter and he gathered his most skilled colleagues to kill the beast. One of them was Atalanta, a brave huntress who was the first to wound it, making it easier for Meleager to kill it. As thanks, he gave her the boar's head. The story continues with subsequent twists and turns, reaching a gory conclusion when Meleager's mother brings about his untimely death.

1. For further information on the relationship between Bol and Boels, see H.G. Franz, 'Beiträge zur Niederländischen Landschaftsmalerei des 16. Jahrhunderts (II)', Kunsthistorisches Jahrbuch Graz, 15-16 (1979/80), pp. 151-174