Pieter Casteels II explained

Pieter Casteels II or Pieter Casteels the Younger^[1] (fl. 1673–before 30 March 1701) was a Flemish painter mainly known for his imaginary Italianate landscapes and views of harbours.^[2]

Life

Information about Pieter Casteels II is scarce. He was registered as a master of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1673–1674.^[3] He married Elisabeth Bosschaert and their son Pieter Casteels III trained as a painter with his father. Their son became an accomplished still life painter who was active in England.^[4]

Pieter Casteels II was active in the late 17th century in Antwerp and died in the early 18th century.^[3]

Work

Pieter Casteels II is known for his landscape paintings. Most of these paintings are imaginary views of harbours in an Italianate style. They are typically populated with many figures and often feature fantastic high-rise buildings.^{[5] [6]} He also painted a number of realistic landscapes including views of Paris and Antwerp.^[7] Some history paintings are also attributed to him.^[8]

His work is kept in the collections of museums such as the Louvre, the Statens Museum for Kunst, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires), the Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper and the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'archéologie de Besançon.^{[5] [9] [10]}

Notes and References

1. Name variations: Peter Casteels II, Petrus Casteels, Peter Kasteels II, Pieter Kasteels II
2. https://rkd.nl/explore/artists/https://rkd.nl/explore/artists/15821 Peter Casteels (II)
3. Angel Miguel Navarro, Flemish and Dutch Masters (from the XVIth to the XVIIIth Century at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Asociación Amigos del Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, 2001, p. 32
4. Marie-Louise Hairs, Dominique Finet, The Flemish flower painters in the XVIIth century, Lefebvre et Gillet, 1985, pp. 417–420
5. Musée du Louvre, Alain Roy (maître-assistant.), Le XVIIe [i.e. Dix-septième] siècle flamand au Louvre: histoire des collections: catalogue, Éditions des Musées nationaux, 1977, p. 16
6. http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2013/old-master-british-paintings-l13030/lot.25.html Pieter Casteels II, A Capriccio View of a Busy Harbour Scene with Figures Loading their Boats
7. http://www.sothebys.com/fr/auctions/ecatalogue/lot.89.html/2008/old-master-and-19th-century-european-art-n08406 Pieter Casteels II, A View of the Antwerp Port
8. https://rkd.nl/explore/images/240249 Pieter Casteels II, Bacchus and his followers in a landcape [sic] : allegory of the wine vintage
9. http://www.smk.dk/en/explore-the-art/search-smk/#q=casteels Peter II Casteels
10. Tableaux flamands et hollandais du Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper, Quimper (France). Musée des beaux-arts Institut Néerlandais, 1987, p. 82