Other names

Biography

He was educated by his father, Frans Francken I, from whom he acquired obvious influences, both from him and his predecessors. He travelled to Italy at a very young age, where he was able to study the masters of the Venetian school. He was the most notable member of a family of painters of the same name.

In 1605, he joined the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp, where he was appointed dean in 1614. He pursued his career in Antwerp, where he had a very prolific workshop.

In 1640, he specialised as a painter of cabinet works, mostly biblical, mythological or allegorical subjects. He often collaborated with other painters of landscapes, flowers and interiors, where he painted the figures, such as Paul Vredeman de Vries, Pieter Neefs and Joos de Momper. His work is very abundant among disciples, collaborators and imitators, who repeated his compositions, including his son Frans Francken III.

When his son began painting independently around 1628, he changed his signature to “Do. F. Franck In Et F” to distinguish himself from him.

His contribution to the genre of painting galleries was not only very important, but also greatly influenced artists such as David Teniers.

Bibliography

• U. Härting (1989): Frans Francken Der Jungere (1581-1642). Die Gemalde Mit Kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, Luca Verlag, Freren.
• N. Peeters y A. Diels (2019): Frans Francken ... and his milieu. Old paths, new roads, VUBPRESS, Bruselas.