Old attribution to Gaspar de Crayer

Old attribution to GASPAR DE CRAYER (Antwerp, 1584-Ghent, 1669).
"Holy Family.
Oil on canvas.
The original canvas is preserved.
It presents restorations and perforations.
Measurements: 178 x 240 cm.
In the centre of the image the Virgin and the Child embrace each other tenderly without the spectator's gaze. Their strategic position and the way in which the author enthroned them in a higher position indicate the relevance of the protagonists. Far removed from the traditional aesthetic of the representation of the Holy Family, the scene is completed by the presence of Saint Joseph, who is in the background in profile as is usual in representations of the Holy Family. It is interesting to note the presence of a circle of small angels surrounding the main figures, giving the scene a certain dynamism and decorative sense that harmonises with the powdered, vaporous technique used by the artist to compose the image. The scene takes place in an interior of great opulence inspired by classical architecture, which is open to the outside on the left, allowing a glimpse of a landscape that gives the work spatiality.
Due to its technical characteristics, this work is aesthetically similar to the work of Gaspar de Crayer, a painter and draughtsman of Dutch origin. In 1607 he became a member of the painters' guild in Brussels, where he spent much of his career. His painting was widely recognised by the aristocracy of the day and he was soon closely associated with the court. Gaspar de Crayer's early works include portraits of the kings of Spain and the Spanish governors and officials who were stationed in the Spanish Netherlands, as well as members of the Brussels city council. For example, the equestrian portrait of Don Diego Messia Felipe de Guzmán (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna) was painted by De Crayer in 1627-1628. In addition, from the beginning of his career, de Crayer received commissions for altarpieces to decorate various churches and monasteries around Brussels. It was not until 1635 that Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria, brother of King Philip IV of Spain and governor of the Spanish Netherlands after the death of his aunt Isabella Clara Eugenia in 1633, made him his first court painter. He later worked as court painter for Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, who became governor in 1647.