A grotto with figures, a stag and stork

This whimsical grotto scene must belong to David Teniers' earliest efforts as an independent painter. Only a year after joining Antwerp's local painters' guild in 1633, he painted a pair of highly comparable scenes depicting the Magdalene and Saint Peter within similar grottos (both Dulwich Picture Gallery). Like the present painting, the Dulwich pair are executed on panels measuring roughly 54 cm. wide. And much like those paintings, Teniers here appears to have fully realized the rocky landscape before enlivening his composition by adding the figures.

We are grateful to Fred G. Meijer for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs (private communication, 30 March 2023).