Gallery of a Collector
by BAELLIEUR, Cornelis de, Oil on oak, 115 x 148 cm
The early types of the painted collections of cabinet pieces had been developed by Frans Francken II in the early 17th century. Hans Jordaens and Cornelis de Baellieur succeeded him in this metier. The depictions of art and curiosity cabinets show galleries owned by well-known collectors, but usually the owners were anonymous or fictive.
The gallery interior in this picture was painted by Jordaens, the figures by Baellieur. The principal paintings depicted, “King Midas’ Feast” and the “Allegory of Painting”, were most probably executed by Francken himself.