(Antwerp 1601–1678) and (Mechelen 1600–1652 Antwerp)
The Madonna and Child surrounded by a floral garland,
oil on panel, 65 x 50 cm, framed

Provenance:
sale, Christie’s, Amsterdam, 1 November 2011, lot 126

We are grateful to Klaus Ertz for confirming the authenticity of the present painting. A written certificate is available (August 2017).

Ertz writes: “Having thoroughly examined this excellently preserved painting, I am convinced that the flowers were painted by the Flemish artist Jan Brueghel the Younger in Antwerp around 1630 […], with the figures executed by his colleague Pieter van Avont […], as is suggested by most delicate details in the blossoms, still reflecting the manner of his great paternal example, Jan Brueghel the Elder. In the first half of the seventeenth century, Flemish flower and landscape painting saw a phenomenon that made itself felt with such intensity: that several painters specialised in different genres collaborating on a single composition. In this case, it was Pieter van Avont, whom he [Jan Brueghel II] frequently invited to collaborate on Christian themes. Despite the involvement of several hands, the present painting appears to be amazingly homogeneous.”