Ekphrasis 2: La Bottega Di Un Antiquario by F. Francken Il Giovane

I was astounded at the sheer amount of artwork housed in the Galleria Borghese; each room is lined with paintings and many have murals, relief work, and paintings on the ceilings. Although many of the works were either classical (usually relating to Ancient Roman and Greek deities) or religious in subject matter, one of my favorite pieces was the painting ‘La Bottega Di Un Antiquario’ by the 17^th century painter Frans Francken Il Giovane. Although not large in scale, the painting is extremely detailed. It struck me as unique because of its meta nature. The painting depicts three men in, as the title gives away, an antique story or art gallery. The men, who appear to be the owner and employees or clients of the shop, are not the focus of the painting and are sitting in the bottom left corner of the scene. The walls are lined with at least fifteen paintings and the upper molding shelves smaller statues in different materials ranging from marble to bronze. On the bare, uncluttered floor of the room a monkey and small dog rest. The attention to detail in each painting makes the whole scene very meta, as Francken directs as much attention to each small work as the painting itself.The gallery’s paintings, depicting mostly individuals in social scenes as well as some still lifes and landscapes, are deliberately in the same style as Francken’s own paintings: they are all realistic, vivid in color, and slightly whimsical. This one painting presents the viewer with so many layers to examine and is in a perfect setting at the Galleria Borghese. Francken delights art enthusiasts by offering multiple paintings within one work and the painting appropiately depicts a gallery while being housed in one of the world’s most famed galleries.  

Image source: settemuse.it