Notes

Van Stalbemt was a versatile artist who was active as a painter as well as a printmaker. He was mainly known for his landscapes which typically included religious, mythological and allegorical scenes. Adriaen van Stalbemt was born on 12 June 1580. However no baptismal records from Antwerp’s churches for the artist exist as his family was Protestant. After the fall of Antwerp in 1585, his family moved for religious reasons to Middelburg. Here he probably received his artistic training.

He returned to Antwerp after 1609, probably after the entry into effect of the Twelve Years’ Truce, which heralded a cessation of hostilities between the Habsburg rulers of the Southern Netherlands and the Dutch Republic. He was admitted in 1610 as a master of the Antwerp Guild of St Luke. In Antwerp, he was guided by his great role model, Jan Breughel the Elder who worked a lot with the young Rubens and Hendrik van Balen.  In 1616 Hans Mesmaeckers was registered as his pupil. In 1617 he was elected dean of the Guild. He established himself as a painter of landscapes but was also a capable staffage and animal painter.

In 1633 the artist was active in London for about ten months. Cornelis de Bie reported that King Charles I of England had invited the artist to England. During his stay he painted two landscape views of Greenwich with King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria (still in the Royal Collection).

Stalbemt is known for his landscapes with religious mythological and allegorical scenes. His palace gardens like the present one were influenced by prints after Hans Vredeman de Vries whose perspectives became a great source of inspiration for artists in the 17^th century.  This painting by Stalbemt is exceptional in the variety of landscape and architecture and the colourful accents with figures enjoying themselves

Bro Manor (Bro gård) in Uppland just north of Stockholm was probably used as a place of residence already during the Bronze Age. During Medieval times the area was known as Husby and was most likely a royal farm. In 1565 a manor was built which was given the name Brogård due to its proximity to Bro church.

Johan Sparre, built the current mansion which was completed in 1888. Under Johan Sparre the estate blossomed. When he died childless in 1938 the estate was inherited by his sister’s grand-daughter Ebba Reuterskiöld, who owned this picture in her collection.