Hieronymus Janssens

Like his teacher van der Laemen he was specialized in dance scenes, set inside a house or on an outside terrace.

His representations of elegant companies and balls and the works of Peter Paul Rubens, in particular his Garden of Love (Prado Museum), were significant for the formation of the genre.

He based himself on existing buildings, including the house of Rubens in Antwerp, as well as on prints of Hans Vredeman de Vries, which were a source of perspectival effects.

The earliest works in this genre depicted art objects together with other items such as scientific instruments or peculiar natural specimens.

[8] A good example is the Picture Gallery with Fashionable Visitors (National Trust, Uppark House and Garden, West Sussex) dated to the 1660s.

The contrast between the precious objects on the table and the 'Last Judgement' in the foreground illustrates the idea of vanitas: the ultimate vanity of earthly pleasures.