The painting A Jeu de Paume Before a Country Palace

Adriaen van de Venne `s painting  A Jeu de Paume Before a Country Palace: An Analysis

The painting A Jeu de Paume Before a Country Palace is a small painting by the Dutch artist Adriaen van de Venne.  The beauty of this painting is spectacular.  The picture presented is busy with many people in the depiction as well as many activities.

At first the eye is drawn to the palace.  Even though it is in the country, it is ornate and impressive with its spires and cupolas.  Faded into the background is the image of a silhouette of a village.  The sky is littered with birds, and dogs dominate the crowd scene.

Bordered by an elegant fountain and garden on one side and a forest with goats and deer on the other, there is a game of ball taking place.  Many people of all classes and backgrounds are entertained by watching the game.  In the left hand corner there are lovers who are oblivious to the rest of the excitement.  The one character that stands out is the middle aged, hefty man in the front who is dressed as a country gentleman.  There is a sense of frivolity in the mood of this painting.

 A Jeu de Paume Before a Country Palace was painted in sixteen fourteen.  The oil on panel is six and one half by nine inches.  This painting and its companion, A Merry Company in an Arbor, were part of a series of four landscapes representing the seasons. This painting probably represents summer. (A Jeu de Paume Before a Country Palace)  The painter, Adriaen van de Venne, was born in 1589 in Delft, Netherlands, and died in 1662in The Hague, Netherlands.