Garland of Flowers with the Virgin, the Christ Child and Saint John
First half of the XVII century. Oil on canvas. Not on displayA rhomboidal garland of flowers surrounds grisaille figures of the Virgin and Child with Saint John. This is one of many examples of the collaboration between the Jesuit painter specializing in still lifes and flowers, Daniel Seghers, and the figure painter, Erasmus Quellinus. Their shared works were highly successful among European collectors during the Baroque era. The rhombic ordering of the groups of flowers is quite customary in Seghers´ works, and his delicate touch makes them very attractive elements. He often divided these garlands into five groups of flowers. On the other hand, Quellinus uses this work to display his capacity for religious painting by including a grisaille rendering of a subject much esteemed for private votive works: the Virgin with her son and his cousin. This work is paired with Garland with Jesus and Saint Theresa (P01991). It entered the Spanish Royal Collection in the eighteenth century by way of the collection of Carlos IV.
