17th century Flemish school

Flemish school of the seventeenth century. Follower of JAN PHILIP VAN THIELEN (Mechelen, 1618-Booischot, 1667).
"Holy Family with St. Johnny and with floral garland".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 110 x 82 cm; 133 x 104 cm (frame).

The floral garland, very developed in this work, competes in prominence with the subject that frames (the Holy Family with San Juanito). The almost botanical precision and the maturity of the flowers are reminiscent of Thielen's work. Warm tones dominate, tinged with whites that bring luminosity. The false painted frame was also frequent in Thielen's painting, which echoed the prevailing trends in Flanders. This work is comparable to others in which he collaborated with other painters, such as "Garland with the Bust of Flora" (Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum). He completes the floral garlands with a tender image of the Holy Family with St. Johnny and a ram.

Jan Philip van Thielen was a Flemish Baroque painter who specialized in vases and garlands. From a noble family, he held the title of lord of Cauwenberg. At the age of thirteen he entered as an apprentice in the workshop of his brother-in-law Theodoor Rombouts in Antwerp. He then studied with Daniel Seghers, of whom he became the most outstanding follower. In 1642 he entered the guild of St. Luke in Antwerp as a master. Of his nine children, two of them, Anna Maria Theresia and Francisca Catharina van Thielen, also became flower painters. In October 1660 he enrolled as a free master in the guild of St. Luke in Mechelen. Esteemed in the years in which he was active as the most important Flemish garland painter, he enjoyed the protection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm and at least one of his most valued and imitated compositions, St. Philip in a Niche Surrounded by Flowers, now in the Museo del Prado, entered the Spanish royal collection.