Flemish School (XVII) - The Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary

Flemish School (Late Renaissance / Early 17th Century)
The Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary
Complete and homogeneous cycle of 15 paintings
Medium: Oil on canvas, edges enhanced with a fine gold contour
Dimensions: From 21 x 15.4 cm (smallest) to 21.5 x 19.8 cm (largest)
Condition: Good overall condition considering its age; the works exist as 15 independent individual pieces.

This extraordinary ensemble is a rare and fully preserved testimony to Flemish devotional art at the turn of the 16th to the 17th century. Originally created perhaps for the private oratory of a high-ranking patron or for a Rosary confraternity, this cycle illustrates the 15 mysteries of the Rosary (the joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries) with great narrative density – beginning with the Annunciation and culminating in the Coronation of the Virgin in Heaven.

The compositions impress with their fine execution, a vibrant color palette, and a dramatic use of light unmistakably shaped by late Mannerism. Over the centuries, such multi-part cycles were almost always separated and scattered to the four winds. Offering a textually and materially complete set of 15 matching original paintings represents an absolute rarity on the international art market.
The intimate dimensions give each individual canvas the character of a precious cabinet piece. Each work is bordered by a fine, original gold contour. This serves as an integrated frame and allows for an extremely elegant, modular presentation on the wall.

The value of this cycle is defined primarily by its theological and material completeness. While individual, isolated cabinet paintings of the 17th-century Flemish School are often valued in the trade at 600 to 800 EUR, this series receives a considerable collector's premium due to its closed character as a 15-part original ensemble. The fine, integrated gold contours and the intimate format underline its character as a museum-grade cabinet piece for connoisseurs of sacred art.