ALSLOOT, Denis van - b. 1570 Brussel, d. 1628 Brussel - WGA

ALSLOOT, Denis van

(b. 1570 Brussel, d. 1628 Brussel)

Flemish painter. The earliest document referring to him is a receipt dated 26 May 1593 for the gilding and decoration of the Garnier family monument in Notre-Dame-du-Sablon in Brussels. The records of the Brussels painters’ guild, which survive only from 1599 onwards, do not mention his admission as a master but show that he took on four apprentices between 1599 and 1625, the last being Pieter van der Borcht. In 1599–1600 he entered the service of Archduke Albert and Archduchess Isabella, who entrusted him with many important commissions. In 1603 and 1604 van Alsloot received two payments from them for the design and weaving of two-and-a-half laps of tapestry with grotesques. This has often been taken, erroneously, to indicate that he held a prominent place in the development of Brussels tapestry manufacturing.

Extensive Wooded Landscape with Cephalus and Procris

Cephalus and Procris were in Greek mythology a young couple, newly married, whose love was destined to end in tragedy. The figures in the painting are probably by another hand most likely to be Alsloot’s principle collaborator, Henderick de Clerck.

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Skating during Carnival

From the late fifteenth century the landscape genre had a great development in Flanders. In many cases landscapes of the period not only showed the nature that surrounded the artists but also the population, both peasants and the upper classes, performing different activities. The snowy landscape, a typical Flemish genre, showed the people in their outdoor activities despite the cold. The scenes of skaters and carnivals became associated with this type of snowy landscapes.

Denis van Alsloot, painter to the archducal court in Brussels, was a prominent landscape painter. The scene depicted in his Skating during Carnival takes place in Antwerp, identified by the walls built with Charles V and the Church of St. Jacques. What we see is a social scene where the characters perform different activities, highlighting the skaters with colourful carnival costumes. The clothing of most of the characters indicates that this is the entertainment of the upper classes. Many of the clothes that the characters wear come from Spanish fashion, but there are also some typical Flemish garments.

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The Flight into Egypt

The forested landscapes of Alsloot often incorporate views of castles and abbeys located in the Foret de Soignes, near Brussels, a frequent source of inspiration. The building depicted with topographical accuracy in its lakeside setting in the present painting can be identified as the château at Tervueren, an important site tied to the Brussels court.

As in many of Alsloot’s paintings the figures are probably the work of Alsloot’s principal collaborator, Hendrik de Clerck.

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Winter Landscape

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Winter Landscape in the Fôret de Soignes, with the Flight Into Egypt

The view is probably a capriccio of various of the abbeys set among ponds in the rolling woodland to the south and east of Brussels.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 11 minutes):

Vivaldi: Concerto in F minor RV 297 op. 8 No. 4 (Winter)

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