Flemish school, second half of the 17th century.

Flemish school, second half of the 17th century.
"Orla de flores con Sagrada Familia".
Oil on canvas.
Relined.
Presents restorations.
Measurements: 135 x 166 cm; 143 x 176 cm (frame).

In this magnificent canvas of baroque period and Flemish school, the typology of the border or floral garland framing a religious scene is taken to the highest pictorial summits. It responds to a genuine compositional type of the Netherlands, from which it was exported to Spain and other countries. The garland of flowers receives the same or even greater attention than the Holy Family housed inside. The still life receives an exquisite treatment, working petal by petal, tulip by tulip, each of the fragrant roses, lilies, carnations, etc.. They form a sensual tapestry that takes on volume thanks to the delicate chromatic handling. The vegetal frame reaches great sumptuousness, competing in prominence with the scene of the Virgin and Child accompanied by St. Joseph. It was common in the most important workshops of Flanders that paintings like this one were carried out under the direction of two masters: one specialized in the floral theme, the other in the religious theme. In the juicy manner of resolving the varied bouquets a dense brushstroke of brilliant pigment has been used. The painter has frozen the moment of maximum maturity of the flower, prior to its decay. The dark background highlights the thickness of the garland and the masterful work of the angelic foreshortenings that support it. The Holy Family represented in the center has a wooden frame that, in turn, is inscribed in the floral border. The double frame is also a genuine solution of the Baroque period, especially in Flanders, in accordance with the development of trompe l'oeil and visual games. In fact, the three biblical characters are endowed with volume, their garments are draped with naturalism, and there seems to be air between Joseph and the Child, so that the inner frame seems to be transformed into a window thanks to the tremendous plastic mastery. Given its quality, this canvas can be compared to the "Madonna with a garland of flowers" by Peter Paul Rubens, preserved in the Haute Pinakothek in Munich.