David TENIERS II (1610-1690), Composition with a castle in the background

oil, duplicated canvas; 103 x 143 cm;
Signed at bottom on stone: D.T. F. (letter T inscribed in D).

David Teniers II - belonged to a famous family of Flemish artists, of which he is believed to have been the most important and famous representative.
He was the son and pupil of David Teniers I (1582-1649), also a painter. He initially created in Antwerp, where he joined the brotherhood of St. Luke. In 1647 he took over as custodian of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm Habsburg's famous art collection. In 1650 he moved to Brussels and a year later became court painter, focusing on preparing graphic reproductions of works from the archduke's collection, which was preceded by making numerous copies of paintings in the collection there.
He established the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, which was recognized by the king in early 1663, granting Teniers a title of nobility. He was a prolific and diverse artist. He is credited with some 2,000 paintings, depicting genre scenes, moralizing or landscapes with staffage, as well as so-called amateur cabinets, representing important documentary value for researchers of the history of collecting.
Works by David Teniers the Younger are in the collections of the world's most important museums: the Louvre, the Hermitage or the Prado. Several of his works are also held by the National Museum in Warsaw. However, they are extremely rare on the art market.