(Brussels 1568–1625 Antwerp) and(Antwerp 1601–1678) and(Antwerp 1575–1632)
A flower garland surrounding the Virgin and Child,
oil on copper, 45.9 x 36.6 cm, framed

We are grateful to Klaus Ertz for confirming the attribution. A written certificate accompanies the present painting (25th August 2016).

The present Flower Garland Surrounding the Virgin and Child is one of the few examples of the collaboration between Jan Brueghel the Elder and Jan Brueghel the Younger from the period around 1620, which simultaneously attests to the close artistic relationship between father and son at the time. While Ertz considers the composition of the painting an invention by Jan Brueghel the Elder and also attributes most of the blossoms to him, individual blossoms betray the participation of the younger Brueghel. Dr. Ertz about this aspect: “Several joint products of flower paintings by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Jan Brueghel the Younger dating from the period around 1620 are known. This is not surprising, since the son studied with his father until the latter sent the former off on the obligatory tour of Italy in the early 1620s. It is only possible for someone who has intensively dealt with these two painters over several decades to recognize two hands in this breathtakingly colourful wreath of flowers, which is so stunningly set off against a dark backdrop. Although Jan Brueghel the Younger measured up to his father’s quality standards like hardly another painter of his time, it is the flowers in which one can recognize a difference between the two artists. In my opinion, Jan Brueghel the Younger painted the pink rose on the left-hand side above the Virgin’s head, the large red blossom at the lower left, the black dotted red flower at the bottom, and the red rose next to the arm of the Infant Jesus. In most of the blossoms, however, I can observe the hand of Jan Brueghel the Elder, for in their craftsmanship they still surpass the rest.”

Ertz continues: “The condition of the painting in question can be described as excellent throughout. The colours of the picture give a brilliantly shining impression and are typical of the period around 1620, prior to Jan Brueghel the Younger’s journey to Italy. The layers of colour, applied in overlapping glazes, are perfectly preserved and convey the illusion of three-dimensionality, a characteristic peculiarity of Flemish painting. […] Against a vaguely lit, dark background, the spectator perceives an oval, upright rectangular wreath of flowers rendered in a jewel-like blaze of colours. This ‘airborne’ wreath does not cover the surface in its entirety, but leaves empty four corners, as well as the inner and outer edges, so that the depiction can ‘breathe’. This airy and loose occupation of space of the overall composition is underscored by the enclosed ‘floating’ medallion, which is not held in place by any fastening elements. This approach is continued and enhanced by the buoyant internal structure of the wreath, which, composed of vigorously voluminous blossoms and leaves, assigns sufficient space to each single motif within the arrangement. Inside the medallion, the Virgin is depicted as a half-length figure supporting the nude Christ Child in her arms. The Virgin Mary is dressed in a red garment with a circular neckline and wears a blue scarf around her left shoulder that also serves as a backdrop to the Child, whose gaze is directed upwards towards a flower in his right hand. Her head, rendered in three-quarter profile, is slightly inclined to the right towards the Child and the flower, surrounded by a brownish halo and gauzy brown veil over her brunette hair. An accurate enumeration of all of the individual flowers would be the matter of a botanist. We refer to a similar list published for Flowers in a Wooden Vessel in Vienna (see: K.Ertz/Nitze-Ertz, 2008–2010, vol. III, p. 33). It must suffice here to say that large, full shapes, which can be identified as roses of various forms and colours, carnations, anemones, and marigolds, were used to place accents within the well-balanced rhythm of the wreath. The spaces between these self-sufficient larger forms, conspicuously standing out because of their overlaps and three-dimensionality, have been filled with a multitude of tiny stems, leaves, and ‘subsidiary flowers’ in red, blue, yellow, and white, so that the composition inevitably exhibits a diversity that borders on a Mannerist wealth and abundance.”

Ertz, who has identified the figures of the Madonna and Child as being by the hand of Hendrick van Balen, compares the present flower garland to the following paintings.

Madonna Surrounded by a Wreath of Flowers
Geraardsbergen, St. Adreaansmuseum, inv. no. 5503
Oil on panel, 74 x 62 cm
Jan Brueghel the Younger, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Frans Francken the Younger
Suggested date: circa 1620
Literature: Ertz/Nitze-Ertz 2008–2010, vol. III, cat. no. 466

Flower Garland Surrounding the Virgin and Child
Sermentizon, Château d’Aulteribe
Oil on panel, 114 x 74 cm
Jan Brueghel the Elder, Jan Brueghel the Younger
Suggested date: 1620–22
Literature: op. cit., cat. no. 467

The Madonna in a Garland of Flowers
Madrid, Museo del Prado, inv. no. 1416
Oil on panel, 48 x 41 cm
Jan Brueghel the Elder, Hendrick van Balen
Suggested date: circa 1621
Literature: op. cit., cat. no. 468

A Wreath of Flowers and Fruit Surrounding The Madonna and Child
Swiss private collection
Oil on panel, 55 x 45 cm
Jan Brueghel the Elder, Jan Brueghel the Younger, Hendrick van Balen
Suggested date: circa 1621
Literature: op. cit., cat. no. 469