, a Flemish painter, was born at Antwerp in 1610, and was a disciple of Esaias Vandervelde,
, a Flemish painter, was born at Antwerp in 1610, and was a disciple of Esaias Vandervelde, and under the guidance of so able a master, he became an excellent painter of landscape. His companions nicknamed him Crabbetje, from a crooked turn in his fingers and his hand, which caused him to hold his pallet with some degree of awkwardness. And yet, by the lightness, freedom, and spirit of his touch, it could not be supposed that his hand had the smallest imperfection. He was one of the first Flemish painters who adopted the clean and bright manner of landscape painting. He studied after nature in the country about Rome, improving his taste by the delightful situations of towns, villas, antiquities, figures, and animals, which he sketched upon paper, to make a proper use of them in his designs. In the style of his landscape he chose particularly to imitate Claude Lorraine but in other parts of his painting he seemed fond of making Bamboccio his model. He enriched his landscapes with the vestiges of noble buildings, and the views of such seats as he observed to be beautiful, by their situation or construction. His colouring is extremely bright and clear his skies are warm his touch is free and firm his figures and animals are w r ell drawn, and judiciously disposed and his pictures justly merit the approbation which they have always received.
, son of the preceding, was born at Antwerp in 1610, and was nick-named “The Ape of Painting;”
, son of the preceding, was born at
Antwerp in 1610, and was nick-named “The Ape of
Painting;
” for there was no manner of painting that he
could not imitate so exactly, as to deceive even the nicest
judges. He improved greatly on the talents and merit of
his father, and his reputation introduced him to the favour
of the great. The archduke Leopold William made him
gentleman of his bedchamber; and all the pictures of his
gallery were copied by Teniers, and engraved by his direction. Teniers took a voyage to England, to buy several
pictures of the great Italian masters for count Fuensaldegna, who, on his return, heaped favours on him. Don
John of Austria, and the king of Spain, set so great a
value on his pictures, that they built a gallery on purpose
for them. Prince William of Orange honoured him with
his friendship; Rubens esteemed his works, and assisted
him with his advice. In his thirty* fifth year he was in his
zenith of perfection. His principal talent was landscape,
adorned with small figures. He painted men drinking and
smoking, chemists, and their laboratories, country fairs,
and the like: his small figures are superior to his large
ones. The distinction between the works of the father
and the son is, that in the son’s you discover a finer touch
and a fresher pencil, and a greater choice of attitudes, and
a better disposition of figures. The father retained something of the tone of Italy in his colouring, which was
stronger than the son’s, but his pictures have Jess harmony
and union; besides, the son used to put at the bottom of
his pictures, “David Teniers, junior.
” He died at Antwerp in