Lot 143: Frans Francken the Younger (Antwerp 1581 - 1642),

Frans Francken the Younger (Antwerp 1581 - 1642), Abraham Govaerts (Antwerp 1589-1626) and workshop, and Frederik Bouttats (Antwerp before 1600-1661) and workshop,
The Garden of Eden with the Creation of Adam and Eve,
oil on panel, 54 x 86 cm, framed
Certificate: Dr. Ursula Härting, 1 February 2010.
Dr. Härting sees in this composition a joint work of three artists; while she recognizes Frans Francken the Younger as the painter of the scene of the creation of Adam and Eve and the small-scale repetition of their figures in the background, she assigns the landscape to the workshop of Abraham Govaerts; the animals she attributes to the workshop of Frederik Bouttats. Such collaborations were entirely common in Flemish painting during the 17th century. The artists were specialists in their particular fields and expected to yield higher prices for their works due to such professional collaborative efforts.