18th century Flemish school

Flemish school of the XVIII century.
"Family of shepherds".
Oil on panel.
Measurements: 23 cm (diameter), 64.5 x 73 cm (frame).

The work is part of the decorative and landscape production developed in Flanders during the eighteenth century, direct heir of the great Flemish Baroque tradition of the previous century. After the artistic splendor of the 17th century, led by masters such as Peter Paul Rubens and David Teniers the Younger, Flemish painting evolved towards compositions of a more intimate and decorative nature, mainly intended for private and aristocratic collectors.

During the 18th century, small pastoral scenes, caravans, idealized landscapes and orientalizing compositions were very common, influenced both by the Rococo taste and by the growing European interest in the Orient and travel stories. These works sought to create pleasing and evocative images rather than monumental religious or historical narratives.

The Flemish school maintained a special interest in this period in depicting animals, rural scenes and atmospheric landscapes, treated with a freer brushstroke and a lighter sensibility than that of the full Baroque. Many of these paintings were made as decorative elements for cabinets, salons or private collections, where the circular or tondo format also had an important ornamental function.

The taste for exotic and pastoral scenes also reflects the European cultural environment of the 18th century, marked by decorative refinement, collecting and the fascination for idealized and distant worlds.