Forest Scene with Robbery

Vinckboons was a follower of the Bruegel family and applied himself to tableaux from daily life and landscape.
The forest landscape is painted in the miniature style by David Vinckboons before his departure to the northern Low Countries where he likewise found an entrance into landscape painting via Flemish concepts, such as, amongst others, Gillis Claesz. D’Hondecoeter.
For his part, Sebastian Vrancx takes on the travellers on horseback who were attacked by highwaymen. It was not uncommon that travellers were ravaged along the way, something that left a profound impression upon the populace. Light and dark portions comingle with each other, which lends even more power to the dramatic element of the events. Such tableaux were thus also the subject of many paintings. Rubens likewise rightly feared the highwaymen and whenever he departed with his valuable possessions to his castle in Elewijt, he allowed himself to be accompanied by soldiers.