David Teniers the Younger painted at a time when the church had ceased being the only market for paintings. Instead there was a thriving market for portraits in Flanders … portraits of the owner and his wife, of his home, of his mistress perhaps, or indeed any of his possessions.
The Archduke Leopold of Austria loved art and he held his collection in fine galleries within which art could be viewed and even bought. Teniers painted at least six of his gallery rooms, painstakingly painting each of the paintings on the walls. These paintings also served to inventory each room … something that has been invaluable to art historians since. The following three paintings are hanging on the gallery walls.
