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21 - LUCAS FRANCHOYS II (Malines, 1616-1681) LEOPOLD-GUILLAUME OF…
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Estimate €20,000 - €30,000
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Description
LUCAS FRANCHOYS II (Malines, 1616-1681) LEOPOLD-GUILLAUME OF HABSBURG RECEIVING THE OFFICE OF BISHOP Canvas Old restorations Leopold William of Habsburg being appointed bishop, canvas, with restorations 76,50 x 93,50 CM - 30,1 x 36,8 IN. PROVENANCE Sale in Antwerp, DVC auctions, 23 September 2017, n° 345 (Sebastiano Ricci). Trained as a child by his father Lucas Franchoys the elder, then a pupil of Rubens in Antwerp, Franchoys also drew his inspiration from Vandyckian elegance. He spent some time in Paris with the Prince of Condé and returned to his native Mechelen in 1655, joining the Gilde de Saint-Luc. He was a sought-after portraitist, but also the author of altarpieces and large compositions. We have not been able to identify the large format that this sketch prepares: we see a young nobleman stripping off his secular vestments to enter religious orders; on the right, he is being ordained. We identify the central figure as Leopold William of Habsburg (1614-1662), Archduke of Austria. As the youngest son of his family, he was naturally drawn towards an ecclesiastical career, inheriting the office of bishop of Strasbourg from his uncle, which he held for thirty-seven years without ever visiting the Alsatian city. He also governed the Spanish Netherlands and was an important Habsburg military leader during the Thirty Years' War. He drove the Swedes out of Bohemia and prevented them from attacking Vienna. As Governor General of the Spanish Netherlands, he concluded a peace treaty with the United Provinces (Holland) under the Treaty of Münster (1648). He was a great collector and patron of the arts, employing not only David II Téniers, but also the brother of our painter, Peeter Franchoys (1606-1654). We would like to thank Bert Schepers of the Centrum Rubenianum for giving us this attribution to Lucas Franchoys II, on the occasion of a direct examination of the work in March 2026.
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About the sale OLD PAINTINGS
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Auction time 06/16/2026 at 6:00 PM
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