Frans Francken III (1607 - 1667)

Frans III was born into a distinguished Flemish family of painters. He trained with his father, Frans Francken the Younger (1581– 1642), with whom he worked and whose style he largely adopted. Frans the Younger was the first to execute detailed gallery paintings. Frans III visited Holland on a study tour. In 1639/40 he became a master in Antwerp. He specialised in adding staffage figures and painting cabinet drawers; the small figures are in his father’s style, though technically inferior. His genre paintings suited the taste of his contemporaries. Despite receiving sufficient commissions, he supplemented his income by trading in cotton and linen. In 1656/57 he was dean of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke.

Author: Ducke Astrid

Literature: DUCKE Astrid, HABERSATTER Thomas, OEHRING Erika: Masterworks. Residenzgalerie Salzburg. Salzburg 2015, S. 76