3-097-434 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia in Mariemont Park, 1600-1625. We can tell by their ruffs and expensive clothes that these are rich people enjoying a day outdoors in the countryside: they are depicted in the extensive gardens of Mariemont Palace, south of Brussels. The archdukes appear surrounded by ladies and children of the court with small dogs, while on the right we see fallow deer. Hunting was an activity frequently enjoyed by members of the court and one that the archduchess herself practiced, but this is a tranquil scene, with pet dogs not hunting dogs. The Archduchess's enthusiasm and fondness for country life are evident in her correspondence...she writes: "We have come to this cottage to enjoy the countryside, which is absolutely lovely (...). In short, country life is the best of all." As the daughter of Philip II, she had received an education related to hunting and outdoor excursions, so her presence in these kinds of settings is not surprising. This work is considered a collaboration between Jan Brueghel the Elder, who is believed to have painted the figures, and Joost de Momper, who painted the landscape.