Flemish school; second half of the 17th century.

Flemish school; second half of the 17th century.
"Allegories".
Oil on oak panel.
Measurements: 25 x 70 cm (x2).
These two compositions belong to the Flemish School of the second half of the seventeenth century and are an eloquent testimony of the sustained interest in classical mythology in the Baroque art of northern Europe. Both scenes, executed on elongated supports and horizontal format, clearly suggest their decorative function within a larger pictorial ensemble, probably conceived to ornament a frieze, a piece of furniture or a boiserie in a courtly or scholarly environment.
The first of the compositions depicts a group of goddesses, among whom Cybele, reclining with her usual iconography of mural crown and lion at her feet, and Era (Juno), recognizable by her majestic central attitude and gesture of authority, possibly alluding to her role as queen of Olympus, can be easily identified. The figures are accompanied by other female deities, perhaps allegories of virtues or seasons, one of whom carries a horn of plenty. The background presents a caravan with camels, suggesting an orientalizing scenario in accordance with the universal character of the divinities.
The second scene, on the other hand, illustrates Apollo, recognizable by his classical bearing, his idealized nudity and the lyre he holds, accompanied by a group of Muses, each one carrying attributes linked to the arts and sciences: the wheel, the chisel, the compass, among others. On the right, in the background, there is a couple of reclining figures contemplating the sea, introducing a poetic note that reinforces the sense of harmonious contemplation of the natural world and art.
The pictorial treatment of both works evidences the technical skill of the Flemish school, characterized by its meticulousness in detail, the refinement of color and narrative clarity. The figures are elegantly arranged in space, and the chromaticism, although restrained, accentuates the theatricality of the scene through the arrangement of clothing and the contrast between areas of light and shadow.
In the context of the Flemish Baroque, mythology played a central role as a vehicle for the exaltation of human virtues, knowledge and cosmic order. These images not only convey classical narratives, but offer the viewer a visual reflection on wisdom, fertility, power and the arts, integrating the Greco-Latin past into the decorative program of enlightened spaces.