Ferries on an estuary stream

It is suggested that the present, hitherto unknown Ferries on an estuary stream is a juvenile work by Abraham Govaerts, whose career and oeuvre have been thoroughly described by Ursula Haerting and Kathleen Borms (Abraham Govaerts Die Waldmaler (1589 -1626) [2003]). Govaerts became a master in the Antwerp guild of St. Luke in 1607/8, but his independent career had already begun by the previous year when he signed and dated, 1606, the Inn in an wooded landscape in the Brussels Museum of fine Arts. This is painted in the idiom of Jan Brueghel the Elder, who had been active in Antwerp since 1597 and whose influence on Govaerts is discussed by Haerting and Worms, pp. 44ff. The debt in the present painting to Brueghel's art is even more obvious. In some contrast is the Forest Landscape, which Haerting and Borms believe to be Govaerts's earliest painting, where the inspiration of Gillis Claesz. D'Hondecoeter is more apparent; his influence on the young Govaerts is discussed by them, pp. 37ff. The Forest landscape is painted on a copper support stamped by Pieter Staes and dated 1605 , whereas the date on the present support by Staes is 1604, which might suggest an earlier use of it by the artist. Two other copper supports by Staes, dated 1606 and 1609, were also supplied to the young artist.