Thomas van Apshoven

Thomas van Apshoven (1622 – 1664/7) was a Flemish painter known for his landscapes with peasant scenes and genre scenes in interiors. His genre scenes depict village festivals, the interiors of taverns, village scenes or landscapes with peasants engaged in various activities, singeries, guardroom scenes and laboratories of alchemists. Some still lifes have also been attributed to him. His themes and style are close to that of David Teniers the Younger.

Life He was born on 30 November 1622 in Antwerp as the eldest son of Ferdinand van Apshoven the Elder and Leonora Wijns. His father was a painter who had studied with Adam van Noort and had become a master of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1596. No paintings by his father are known. His younger brother Ferdinand van Apshoven the Younger became also a successful painter.

Thomas studied under his father. Some sources state that he became a pupil of the prominent genre painter David Teniers the Younger. It is more likely, however, that he was an imitator of Teniers. He married Barbara Janssens on 22 March 1645. The couple had four children. The godfathers of the children included the painters Victor Wolfvoet and Jan van Kessel the Elder.

As his father had been the captain of the local civil militia he was in 1657 also made captain, a position which he held until his death. He also copied works of followers of Teniers such as David Ryckaert III.

A still life of Fruit, a roemer, oysters and a plate with a lemon has also been attributed to him (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister). It carries the signature "T. V. APSHOVEN".