The Four Elements: Water
Jan Brueghel the Younger (Antwerp 1601 - Antwerp 1678)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1625 - 1632
Materials
Oil on copper
Measurements
476 x 825 mm (18 3/4 x 32 1/2 in)
Order this imageCollection
Kingston Lacy Estate, Dorset
NT 1257085
Caption
Water is personified by a figure probably representing one of the nymphs seduced by Neptune, who can be seen riding in triumph on the sea in the background. She is surrounded by all the fantastic creatures of the sea on the land and a two flying fish hover in the sky. This is a unique version of the many repeated sets of the Four Elements from the Brueghel Antwerp studio from the early 17th century. It was painted during the elder Brueghels’ life time by his son and studio assistant – probably before 1622 when he went to Italy. This set was not recorded at Kingston Lacy until 1905, probably bought by the widow of Walter Ralph Bankes, née Henrietta Fraser.
Summary
Oil painting on copper, The Four Elements: Water, by Jan Brueghel the younger (1601-1678), and Hendrick van Balen the elder (1575-1632), circa 1625/32. Water is personified by a figure probably representing one of the nymphs seduced by Neptune, who can be seen riding in triumph on the sea in the background.
Provenance
Acquired after 1905, probably by Henrietta Jenny Fraser, Mrs. Walter Ralph Bankes (1871 -1953); bequeathed by her son, Ralph Bankes (1902 – 1981)
Credit line
Kingston Lacy, The Bankes Collection (National Trust)
Marks and inscriptions
WATER (painted in black on fixed gilt label, bottom right-hand side)
Makers and roles
Jan Brueghel the Younger (Antwerp 1601 - Antwerp 1678) , artist Hendrik van Balen the Elder (Antwerp 1575 - Antwerp 1632), artist
Exhibition history
In Trust for the Nation, National Gallery, London, 1995 - 1996, no.60c
