Hendrick van Balen the Elder 
(Antwerp 1575 - 1632)

"Archangel Gabriel"

Oil on panel
16.85" x 22.68", 57.6 x  42.8 cm

€ 85.000,00

This masterpiece that represents Archangel Gabriel  has an extremely precious character in representing the Angel of the Annunciation illuminated by the divine light of the Holy Spirit. He expresses a benedictory gesture  with the right hand, holding in the left a white  lily. The figure is placed  in an oval space in mock  marble with flowers in the four corners.     

All the elements indicate that this  work is Flemish, more precisely  of Antwerp, of the first quarter of the 17th century and is very representative of the art mainstream of this city at the eve of Rubens return from Italy. This Archangel Gabriel is attributed to Hendrick van Balen the Elder and has as principal characteristics  the persistence  of  Romanism,  a variation of the Mannerism of Antwerp, with strong  Italian influences.  Karel van Mandel narrates in his biographies that  Hendrick van Balen was raised  by Adam van Noor. He was admitted as Master in the Guild of Antwerp in 1593, in 1605 he married Margherita Biers from whom he had eleven children, three of them will continue the artistic dynasty. Hendrick van Balen between  1593 and 1605 travelled to Italy, he was  part of the  brotherhood of the Romanists, that enrolled it's members among the artists that visited Rome, he was appointed dean in 1613. Some of his works, as  this, possess a strong Italian influence with elements of the Senese mannerism of Rafaello Vanni  through him of Federico Barocci and the Venetian school, and also of the foreign mannerists that worked in northern Italy like Hans  Rottenhammer. Hendrick van Balen specialized generally in profane subjects, but we must not forget his works in religious subjects, of large and small format and his projects of stained glass windows. His main research  in art was to express a refined  elegance of  forms. 

He had numerous pupils, of different temperament as  François Snijders and  Anthony van Dyck.