Baroque Artists’ Portraits
With Koen Fillet and Leen Kelchtermans, researcher at The Phoebus Foundation
In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of Baroque self-portraits. Together with Dr Leen Kelchtermans, we discover more about the fascinating dynamic created when artists are both the model and creator of a work of art. Furthermore, we highlight why they immortalise themselves, and where they look for inspiration. A unique look into the artistic masterminds of the past!
Excited for more? Discover The Bold and the Beautiful in Flemish Portraits, the story of Flemish portraiture told through dozens of masterpieces.
Unknown Master – St Luke Painting the Virgin and Child
Uncover the meaning behind the sixteenth-century triptych, St Luke Painting the Madonna, a cherished piece within The Phoebus Foundation collection. Through the meticulous restoration skills of Sven Van Dorst and the comprehensive art historical research conducted by Niels Schalley, this masterpiece is now revealed in its full historical and artistic glory.
Adam Frans Van der Meulen – Entry of Louis XIV in Douai
The Brussels painter Adam Frans Van der Meulen (1632-1690) created quite a furore at the court of the French King Louis XIV (1638-1715) when he immortalised his military triumphs, embellished with the necessary pomp and bravado. However, the work depicting the royal couple’s entry into Douai in 1667 was even more astonishing! In this Phoebus Focus episode, Dr Leen Kelchtermans brings various subtleties and details to light, unravelling new insights into the creation and meaning of this work of art.
Want to know more? Discover the Phoebus Finding:
Children Portraits
With Koen Fillet and Katrijn Van Bragt, Collection Consultant of The Phoebus Foundation
Within portraiture, children portraits are a special genre. The representations of boys and girls, dressed in lavish attire and in a stately and serious pose, don’t immediately catch the eye and even look odd at first glance. But in fact, they contain a particularly interesting, often emotional story. In this episode of Phoebus Focus, you can discover, together with Katrijn Van Bragt, all about the history and evolution of this special portrait genre.
Want to know more about children’s portraits? Discover the essay ‘Forever Young. Children of Paint and Varnish’ in the book The Bold and the Beautiful in Flemish Portraits.
Hendrick De Clerck – Susanna and the Elders
In this ‘Phoebus Focus’ episode, chief of staff of The Phoebus Foundation, Dr Katharina Van Cauteren, sheds light on the various meanings and motifs behind the painting ‘Susanna and the Elders’ by the Brussels artist Hendrick De Clerck. With her expertise in De Clerck’s oeuvre, Dr Van Cauteren masterfully places the artist and his work in their art-historical and social context.
Frits Van den Berghe
With Koen Fillet and art historian Peter J.H. Pauwels
In this Phoebus Focus episode, we take a closer look at the oeuvre of Frits Van den Berghe. Based on the Coming Home. Flemish Art 1880-1930 publication, art historian Peter J.H. Pauwels highlights the artist’s strikingly personal and, at the same time, challenging style.
Frans Ykens – Kitchen Still Life
With Koen Fillet and art historian Prisca Valkeneers
This work by Frans Ykens is a perfect example of how things are not always what they seem. At first glance, the scene might appear to be a simple still life, but upon closer inspection, the painting reveals a whole world of intricacies and hidden meanings. In this episode of Phoebus Focus, art historian Prisca Valkeneers delves into the artwork’s secrets and sheds light on the many layers of meaning hidden within it.
Plantin and Montanus – Biblia Regia printed on vellum
With Koen Fillet and Dirk Imhof, former curator of books and archives at the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp.
In this Phoebus Focus episode, Dr Dirk Imhof outlines the context and significance of Christophe Plantin’s Biblia Regia on vellum, one of the most impressive book printing projects of the Renaissance.
Jan Borman II – Madonna and Child
With Koen Fillet and Marjan Debaene, sculpture specialist and Head of Collections at M Leuven.
In this Phoebus Focus episode, sculptor Jan Borman II gets the recognition he deserves thanks to sculpture specialist and Head of Collections at M Leuven Marjan Debaene. The artist and his exquisite Madonna and Child are framed within an extensive artistic network. Contemporaries rightly praised Borman as the best sculptor.
Jan Brueghel I – Flowers in a Vase with a Clump of Cyclamen and Precious Stones
With Koen Fillet and Sven Van Dorst, head of conservation at The Phoebus Foundation studio
Daffodils, pink roses, an orange lily, tulips, bright blue irises … The variety of flowers and the bright colours is overwhelming and almost splashes off this little panel. This composition is a masterpiece by Jan Brueghel I (1568-1625), one of the most important painters of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In this episode of Phoebus Focus, you discover the inspirations, motivations, and working methods behind Brueghel’s devotion to floral splendour.
Anthony Van Dyck – Portrait of Henricus Liberti
With Koen Fillet and Timothy De Paepe, director of Museum Vleeshuis.
In this Phoebus Focus episode, we dive behind the mysterious portrait of the musician Henricus Liberti by Anthony Van Dyck. Director of Museum Vleeshuis, Timothy De Paepe, outlines a brief history of the man who, as organist of the Antwerp Cathedral during the early 17th century, defined the sound of the city. But, more than that, an analysis of Van Dyck’s portrait of Liberti reveals striking details about the unique portrayal of this fascinating figure.
Unknown Antwerp Master – Portrait of a Young Woman
With Koen Fillet and Leen Kelchtermans, researcher of The Phoebus Foundation
Who is this young lady, and by whom was she so accurately portrayed? In this episode, researcher of The Phoebus Foundation, Leen Kelchtermans, unravels the mystery behind this seventeenth-century portrait. This Phoebus Focus episode offers a fascinating insight into the young lady’s bygone reality: how she dressed, what norms and values she lived by, and what it meant to be married in 1613.
Want to know more? Order the Phoebus Focus publication!