Jan van den Hecke, the Elder (Kwaremont 1619/1620-1684 Antwerp)

Traditionally attributed to Jan Philips van Thielen (1618-1667), Dr. Fred G. Meijer has recently given this unrecorded picture to Jan van den Hecke I, an eclectic still-life artist who worked in Antwerp his whole life. Beautifully preserved on its copper support, this work counts amongst van den Hecke’s finest achievements, drawing heavily on the influence of Daniel Seghers, who by the 1640s was widely recognised as the leading specialist painter of flowers in Antwerp. Van den Hecke may have come into contact with the older artist through van Thielen who held a unique position as Seghers’ only pupil. The two younger artists were exact contemporaries and both joined the Antwerp guild in the same year, 1642.  This ambitious work may have been painted shortly after - a dazzling display of van den Hecke’s own technical virtuosity to challenge that of his rivals.    
We are grateful to Dr. Fred G. Meijer for confirming the attribution after first hand inspection.