The Rest of the Holy Family , attributed to Jan van den Hoecke (, 1611 – 1651)

Jan van den Hoecke (Antwerp, 1611 – 1651) attributed. The Rest of the Holy Family circa 1635.

The Rest of the Holy Family circa 1635.
Oil on relined canvas, 108.5 cm by 83 cm.

This sumptuous painting was created during the artist's Rubenian period, perhaps in Rubens's own studio. In addition to the style of the composition as a whole, certain details point in this direction, notably the small dog at the bottom right. This same dog, portrayed in the same position, can be found in Rubens' painting "Susan and the Elders" and in its numerous versions, including the one exhibited at the Alte Pinakhotek in Munich (inv. no. 317).

Jan van den Hoecke (Antwerp, 1611 – 1651) 

Jan van den Hoecke (Antwerp, August 4, 1611 – Antwerp, 1651) was a painter from the southern Netherlands, a pupil and later collaborator of Rubens, whose influence can be found throughout his work, but it is also worth noting the influence of another painter, also a pupil and later collaborator of Rubens, Anton van Dyck. He was a painter of portraits, history, religious scenes, and genre scenes. He came from a family of artists: he was the son of Gaspar van den Hoecke, an eminent painter, and the half-brother of Robert van den Hoecke, also a renowned painter. His sister Ursula married the painter Balthasar van Cortbemde. Matthijs Musson was his uncle. A student and later collaborator of Peter Paul Rubens, he participated in the decoration of Ferdinand of Austria's "Joyful Entry" in 1635, a project known as Pompa Introitus Ferdinandi. During this period, his style drew heavily on that of Rubens. Van den Hoecke traveled to Italy, where he worked in Rome from 1635 to 1644. There, he copied works by masters such as Guido Reni, Titian, and Veronese. His time in Italy had an influence on his style, which, after his return, leaned more towards the refined, classical approach of Guido Reni than towards the dynamic style of Rubens. In Rome, he became a member of the prestigious Pontificia Insigne Accademia di Belle Arti e Letteratura dei Virtuosi al Pantheon in 1644 and became regent there in 1646. Returning to the Southern Netherlands in 1647, he worked as a court painter for Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, governor of the Southern Netherlands. Van den Hoecke was also active as a carpet designer and engraver. He died in Antwerp or Brussels in 1650 or 1651.