Galerie De Jonckheere, Paris ;

Acquis auprès de cette dernière par les parents des actuels propriétaires en 1988 ;

Collection particulière, France

Allegories of the seasons are one of Sebastian Vrancx's favourite themes, which he devised in series. Take, for example, the series that came up for auction at Sotheby's in 2013 (1). In the present painting, Vrancx depicts the month of March through the work of farmers toiling in a garden near a castle: the earth has been turned, flowers planted and trees pruned. Representing the daily activities associated with the different seasons of the year, paintings on this theme have filled the Flemish picture markets since the end of the 16th century. These works could take a variety of formats - Jacob Grimmer painted them on round panels - and add a religious or moral dimension - Hans Bol included scenes from the Old and New Testaments in his series on the seasons. But here, Vrancx offers the viewer a more literal interpretation, even if, taken together with the previous lot, it could be seen as an allegory of labour on the one hand and idleness on the other.

We would like to thank Joost Vander Auwera who kindly confirmed the attribution of this work in a letter dated 13 June 2024. He dates the painting to around 1614. 

1. Anonymous sale; New York, Sotheby’s, 6 June 2013, n^o 28 (a, b, c et d).