Willem Van NIEULANDT (Antwerp, 1584 - Amsterdam, 1635) - Lot 6

Willem Van NIEULANDT (Antwerp, 1584 - Amsterdam, 1635) Greco-Roman wrestlers before the statue of Jupiter Lined panel enclosed in an oak panel. Old restorations. 37.5 x 59 cm Our painting is to be compared with another composition by Willem Van Nieulandt II (Cologne Lempertz sale, September 23, 2023, no. 2028) on the same theme, itself inspired by an engraving by Philips Galle after a drawing by Maerten van Heemskerck, produced in 1572 and depicting the statue of Zeus at Olympia, at the feet of which games and a laurel award ceremony are taking place. Painter, draughtsman, engraver and poet, Willem van Nieulandt was a pupil of Jacob Savery in Amsterdam between 1594 and 1599. He spent several years in Rome in Paul Bril's studio and with his uncle Willem I van Nieulandt. From this trip, he brought back an Antiquist influence that is characteristic of his landscapes.