David Ryckaert III

[3] David Ryckaert III was born in Antwerp on 2 December 1612 and was baptized in the St. James' Church on the same date.

This view changed when in 1995 Christie's auctioned a painting referred to as Still life with shells with a nautilus, vases, glasses and Chinese porcelain, which was signed and dated 'DAVIDT.RYCKAERTS.

Ryckaert was tasked to paint together with Antwerp painter Jan van Eyck the final triumphal arch for the event.

[6] He was the teacher of Hans la Croys, Jacob Lafosse II and Erasmus de Bie.

His work often depicts interiors with professionals, such as alchemists, quacks, cobblers or painters or inns with peasants.

Ryckaert changed details of the compositions and turned them into allegories of taste (the woman is feeding the cat) and touch (the man is holding the paw of the dog).

[3] This change in style was possibly a reaction to the 1647 arrival in Brussels of the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, the governor of the Southern Netherlands.

Leopold Wilhelm was no fan of Ryckaert's early coarse tavern and barn interiors, as he preferred more refined scenes.

For instance, in Alchemist in his laboratory (1648, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels) he borrowed a subject that often appeared in the work of Teniers the Younger.

[11] Through the influence of Teniers, Ryckaert changed his style by putting a greater emphasis on distinct colors and decorative qualities.