Frans Francken the Younger given name Frans
Frans Francken the Younger (1581 in Antwerp – 6 May 1642, in Antwerp) was a Flemish painter who created altarpieces and furniture panels and gained his reputation chiefly through his small and delicate cabinet pictures with historical, mythological or allegorical themes.  He is the best-known and most prolific member of the large Francken family of artists.   Francken played an important role in the development of Flemish art in the first half of the 17th century through his innovations in many genres including genre painting and his introduction of new subject matter.  He was a frequent collaborator of leading Antwerp painters of his time.Singeries
Frans Francken contributed to the development of the genre of the 'monkey scene', also called 'singerie' (a word, which in French means a 'comical grimace, behaviour or trick'). Comical scenes with monkeys appearing in human attire and a human environment are a pictorial genre that was initiated in Flemish painting in the 16th century and was subsequently further developed in the 17th century.
The Flemish engraver Pieter van der Borcht introduced the singerie as an independent theme around 1575 in a series of prints, which are strongly embedded in the artistic tradition of Pieter Bruegel the Elder.  These prints were widely disseminated and the theme was then picked up by other Flemish artists.  The first one to do so was Frans Francken the Younger who played an important role in the development of the genre.  Other Antwerp artists subsequently contributing to the genre were Jan Brueghel the Elder and the Younger, Sebastiaen Vrancx and Jan van Kessel the Elder. David Teniers the Younger became the principal practitioner of the genre and developed it further with his younger brother Abraham Teniers.  Later in the 17th century Nicolaes van Verendael started to paint these 'monkey scenes' as well.
first name forename given title personal name