In the 17th century, in the tradition of the so-called “Flemish” landscape painting, Brussels saw the remarkable emergence of a school of talented and innovative landscape painters, today called the School of The Sonian Forest Painters, named after the large forest near Brussels, which was the main source of their inspiration.

This school has four major figures: its instigator, the modern and intimate Lodewijk de Vadder (1605-1655); the elegant and highly acclaimed Jacques d’Arthois (1613-1686); the fiery Lucas Achtschellinck (1626-1699), also famous for his tapestry cartoons; and the delicate and too soon deceased Ignatius van der Stock (1636-1668).

Other artists whose work is less famous or known evolved in the orbit of this school, like Jean van de Venne (before 1616-after 1661), Guillaume van Schoor (1623-after 1676), François Coppens (1628-1685), or Philp Van Dapels (1635-1669).