Jan II Brueghel (1601-1678) and Frans Wouters (1612-1659) - Lot 115

Jan II Brueghel (1601-1678) and Frans Wouters (1612-1659) Virgin and Child in an architectural setting surrounded by garlands of flowers, circa 1645 Oil on canvas. H_71 cm x W_41.5 cm Yellow varnish, oxidized and slightly repainted. In an antique carved and gilded wooden frame. Our painting is typical of the many collaborations between the various painters of the Flemish Baroque. Jan Brueghel the Younger, from a vast dynasty of masters, is responsible for the floral composition of our painting. He adorns a finely crafted architecture and Madonna and Child by Frans Wouters, also a member of the Saint Luke's Guild and pupil of Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Paintings of Virgins in a frame of flowers are particularly typical of Baroque production in Flanders. These paintings are almost always done by several hands, and the most famous duo is the collaboration between Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625) and Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). This painting is therefore at the heart of the best productions in this genre. We are grateful to Dr. Fred G. Meijer for his opinion, which suggests that the flowers are characteristic of Brueghel's manner of the late 1640's. He also points out the stylistic proximity between the infant Jesus in our painting and the putti in the shared composition by David Teniers II (1610-1690) and Frans Wouters (1612-1659) from 1644 held by the Czech Heritage Institute, státní památkový ústav. Experts: Cabinet Artéon