Philippe de Momper

A wooded landscape with cottages, figures picking apples, mountains beyond

Philippe de Momper[1] (1598–1634) was a Flemish landscape painter and son of the prominent landscape painter Joos de Momper. His work was virtually unknown until a group of paintings, mainly depicting Treviso and Rome, which had formerly been attributed to his father were re-assigned to him.[2]

Life

A landscape with a moated palace, and figures awaiting the ferry on the near side

Philippe de Momper was born in Antwerp as the son of the prominent landscape painter Joos de Momper.[3] The de Momper family was a prominent family of landscape painters and printmakers, originally from Bruges, which had settled in Antwerp in the 16th century.[4] Philippe de Momper was one of ten children. His brother Gaspard may also have worked as an artist, but little is known about his life.[5]

Philippe de Momper trained with his father Joos. Before joining the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke he travelled to Italy in the company of his good friend Jan Brueghel the Younger, a scion of the famous Brueghel family and the son of Jan Brueghel the Elder. Philippe created in Rome a number of paintings depicting scenes of Rome and its surroundings.[5] Jan de Momper is believed to have joined the Bentvueghels, an organization of mainly Flemish and Dutch painters active in Rome. He was in Rome in the period 1622-1624.[6]

Philippe de Momper was recorded back in Antwerp when he joined the local Guild of Saint Luke as a 'wijnmeester', i.e. the son of a member, on November 1624.[3]

Philippe de Momper died in Antwerp in 1634.[3]

Work

A view of the Castel Sant'Angelo, the Ponte d'Angelo and the Tiber in the foreground

Philippe de Momper was a painter and draughtsman of landscapes. He also contributed the staffage in compositions of fellow painters.[6]

As Philippe de Momper had worked in his father's studio he was thoroughly familiar with his father's style. A number of his pictures have therefore been attributed to his father. However, he was still able to develop an independent style, incorporating his own ideas and contemporary fashions. Philippe also showed a preference for certain motifs which show his personal signature.[5]

As no signed works by the artist are known it has been difficult to define his oeuvre. Certain works that were originally attributed to his father Joos have tentatively been ascribed to Philippe[6]

A first group of works were identified by Dr Klaus Ertz in a 1986 monograph on Philippe's father Joos de Momper. Dr Ertz ascribed to Philippe a group of paintings, mainly depicting Treviso and Rome, which he called the 'Treviso group'. These works, which had traditionally been attributed to his father Joos, show a consistency in terms of content and style. Stylistically, in particular their composition and colour scheme indicate that these paintings were likely created in the 1620s at the earliest. The paintings reveal a significant Italian influence, likely attributable to his trip to Italy in the early 1620s. An example is A Village Scene by a River, said to be a View of Treviso (At Sotheby's on 26 April 2007 in London, lot 8). In this composition, Phillippe de Momper captured the daily life of a riverside town, believed to be Treviso.[6]

A Village Scene in Winter with Skaters

Another group of paintings tentatively attributed to Philippe are views in narrow river valleys often incorporating deer. The group distinguishes itself from Joos' work by the lusher vegetation and the less strident palette and touch are less strident. The inclusion in the pictures of peacefully grazing deer is also typical for the group. An example of this group is A valley in a mountainous landscape (Fondation Custodia).[7]

References

  1. ↑ Name variations: Philip de Momper, Philips de Momper, also referred to as 'Philips de Momper II'
  2. ↑ Irene Haberland and Louise S. Milne. "Philippe de Momper" Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 28 August 2016
  3. 1 2 3 Philippe de Momper at the Netherlands Institute for Art History (Dutch)
  4. ↑ Irene Haberland and Louise S. Milne. "Momper, de." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 28 August 2016
  5. 1 2 3 Philippe de Momper, A Village Scene in Winter with Skaters at Lempertz
  6. 1 2 3 4 Philippe de Momper, Landscape by a Riverside Town, said to be Treviso at Sphinx Fine Art
  7. ↑ Circle of Joos de Momper, A valley in a mountainous landscape at Fondation Custodia
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