Pauwels Casteels or Pauwel Casteels (Antwerp, c. 1625 – Antwerp, after 1677) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He worked in Antwerp and is known for his battle scenes and landscapes with mythological, historical and biblical scenes.Pauwels Casteels
at the Netherlands Institute for Art History

Life

Casteels was born in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

around 1625. He was admitted as a ‘wijnmeester’ (‘wine master’, meaning a son of a master) in the Antwerp

Guild of St. Luke The Guild of Saint Luke was the most common name for a city guild for painters and other artists in early modern Europe, especially in the Low Countries. They were named in honor of the Four Evangelists, Evangelist Saint Luke, Luke, the patron sa ...

in the guild year 1649–1650. In the Guild year 1656-1657 he had a pupil called Jan-Batista Marien registered at the Guild.Ph. Rombouts and Th. van Lerius, ''De Liggeren en andere Historische Archieven der Antwerpsche Sint Lucasgilde, onder Zinkspreuk: "Wy Jonsten Versaemt" afgeschreven en bemerkt door Ph. Rombouts en Th. Van Lerius, Advokaet, onder de bescherming van den raed van bestuer der koninklyke Akademie van beeldende Kunsten, van gezegde Stad''
Volume 2, Antwerp, 1872, pp. 280 Casteels' works were distributed by the Antwerp art dealers Forchondt who traded artworks throughout Europe. The son of the founder of the Forchondt firm who was living in Vienna specifically requested for small and large-scale battle scenes by Paul and that of another battle painter called

Alexander Casteels the Elder Alexander Casteels the Elder or Alexander Casteels (I) ( – 1681–82) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He is known for his battle scenes and landscapes with hunters and elegant companies. It is not known when or where he died. His latest dated work is the ''Battle between king John Sobieski III and the Turks'' (At Sotheby's Milan auction, 1 June 2005 lot 48), which is signed and dated to 1677.

Work

Casteels was a versatile painter who painted cavalry battles and scenes with mythological, historical and biblical stories. His historical and mythological scenes often depicted bacchanalia and sea triumphs. He usually painted on large canvases. His works have at times been attributed to other Flemish painters, such as

Jan Cossiers Jan Cossiers (Antwerp, 15 July 1600 – Antwerp, 4 July 1671) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. Cossiers' earliest works were Caravaggesque genre works depicting low life scenes. Later in his career he painted mostly history and religi ...

Simon de Vos Simon de Vos (20 October 1603 in Antwerp – 15 October 1676 in Antwerp) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and art collector. He started his career making small-format cabinet pictures of genre scenes, in particular of Caravaggesque merry co ...

and

Cornelis de Vos Cornelis de Vos (1584 – 9 May 1651) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and art dealer. He was one of the leading portrait painters in Antwerp and is best known for his sensitive portraits, in particular of children and families. He was a ...

. Pauwels Casteels, ''The Queen of Sheba before King Salomon''
at Dorotheum His battle scenes were very popular in Central Europe and one example is in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.Pauwels Casteels, ''Reitergefecht''
at the Alte Pinakothek These scenes were influenced by fellow Flemish battle painters Pieter Snayers and

Pieter Meulener Pieter Meulener or Peter Meulenaer ( Antwerp, baptised 18 February 1602 – Antwerp, 27 November 1654), Antwerp), was one of the leading Flemish painters of battle scenes in the mid-17th century. He also painted landscapes with genre scenes.< ...

, of whom he adopted the colour palette. His battle scenes are often crowded compositions with many figures engaged in frenzied battle. The figures in these compositions are individualised thus luring the viewer into the details of the scene.Pauwels Casteels, ''Joshua stopping the sun''
at Sphinx Fine Art Due to the stylistic similarities, some of his battle paintings may have been attributed to fellow Antwerp battle painter Alexander Casteels the Elder.K. Zoege Von Manteuffel, ''Ein Antwerpener Schlachtenmaler des 17. Jahrhunderts'', Monatshefte für Kunstwissenschaft Monatshefte für Kunstwissenschaft Vol. 5, No. 12 (1912), pp. 520-523

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Casteels, Pauwels 1635 births 1681 deaths 17th-century Flemish painters Flemish Baroque painters Flemish landscape painters Painters from Antwerp 17th-century war artists Flemish war artists Flemish battle painters