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Some art historians claim that in this painting we see a birds-eye view of the The Grove, the house & estate of Sir Francis Pemberton, a leading figure of the English judiciary. He, along with his wife & 7 children, lived there until his death in 1697 just one year after Siberechts had completed the work. Pemberton had bought the neighboring Dorchester House & its estate around 1688. He then demolished that house to make way for his extensive vegetable gardens & orchards. The all-embracing gardens can be seen surrounding the manor house in Siberechts’ painting.
Jan Siberechts (1627–1703) was born in Antwerp, the son of a sculptor with the same name. After establishing himself as an artist in Flanders, he moved to England during his forties. Siberechts was one of scores of Dutch & Flemish artists who came to Britain in the 17C. He was baptized in Antwerp in 1627. He was elected to the Guild of St Luke in 1648. By 1674, he was in England, apparently at the encouragement of George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, who had seen some of Siberechts's landscapes in Antwerp in 1670. The artist was a Catholic, & one of his daughters became a lace-maker for the Queen.He was best known in England as a painter of topographical views of country houses & more general landscapes. He seems to have traveled widely in Britain, and was in Wales in 1696. He remained in England until his death.
