Antwerp 1601–1678) and (Lier 1612–1659 Antwerp)
Saint Helen surrounded by a garland of flowers; and
Saint Catherine of Siena surrounded by a garland of flowers,
oil on copper, each 21.6 x 15.9 cm, framed, a pair (2)

Provenance:
with Cecil Doward, London/New York;
sale, Neal Auction Company, New Orleans, 22 November 2013, lot 342;
Private European collection

We are grateful to Klaus Ertz for suggesting the attribution of the present pair of paintings to Jan Brueghel II (flowers) and Frans Wouters (figures). A written certificate (April 2021) is available.

Ertz writes: ‘These garlands surrounding Christian, mythological, or even allegorical scenes were almost always painted by two different hands. As Jan Brueghel the Younger, like his father, was unable to paint large figures, he always resorted to fellow painters specialised in depicting figures. In this case it was Frans Wouters, who was influenced by Peter Paul Rubens and had trained with Pieter van Avont. Different from earlier flower pieces, all of Jan the Younger’s flowers are on an equal footing here, being small portrayals of every single one of them, so to speak. The less faithful, but instead more painterly rendering of the blossoms is typical of the artist’s late period. For this reason, the painting should be dated into the 1640s.’