Daniel Seghers (1590-1661) e Erasmus Quellinus II (1607-1678), Cerchia di - Altarino con ghirlanda

Daniel Seghers (Antwerp 1590-1661) and Erasmus Quellinus II (Antwerp 1607-1678), maniera di
Altarino with image of the Virgin surrounded by a garland of flowers, second quarter of the XVII century
oil on canvas
cm 88 x 73.5
The painting can be ascribed to the prolific circle of artists who grew up in the wake of Daniel Seghers and also reflects the manner of painting cartouches and sacred images by one of his major collaborators, Erasmus Quellinus II.

Raised as a Protestant, Master Daniel Seghers converted to Catholicism and joined the Society of Jesus.
He became a foremost creator of a type of still life deeply Catholic: garlands of flowers surrounding stone cartouches or, as in this case, gilded and richly carved altarets, and which often frame contemplative religious scenes. Seghers specialized almost exclusively in paintings based on this concept. This highly distinctive genre not only paved the way for his success but also attracted a wide following of pupils and epigone artists.

The formula of the flower garland surrounding a cartouche in which a religious scene is painted certainly invited collaboration with colleagues specialized in painting figurative subjects for the central scene and, consequently, Seghers often collaborated with painters such as Rubens, Hendrick van Balen, Thomas Willboirts Bosschaert, Simon de Vos and, in Rome (1625-27), with Nicolas Poussin and Domenichino. Among the more successful contributions was, however, that of Erasmus Quellinus II, with whom he produced about thirty paintings.

In this case the composition is adorned with a festoon of carefully chosen flowers, among which peonies, roses, san carlini, narcissi and amaryllis. The varied and sometimes complex forms are typical of flowers in full bloom. The petals, clearly highlighted, push forward from the dimly lit background and are eloquently counterbalanced by the centrally lit scene, thus achieving a refined simplicity typical of Seghers. The altarpiece, however, with the Virgin image in monochrome, shows strong echoes of the graceful shapes and rounded faces of Erasmus. In frame