The Virgin and Child, in a Sculpted Cartouche, Surrounded by Garlands of Roses, Tulips, Carnations, Lillies and Other Flowers - Jan van Kessel the Elder
Archival giclée
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Description
A classic seventeenth-century Flemish garland painting by Jan van Kessel the Elder, featuring a central devotional scene framed by a detailed botanical arrangement.
Jan van Kessel the Elder was a prominent member of a prolific family of Flemish painters. He specialised in small-scale works, often painting on copper supports, which allowed for a smooth surface and the application of fine, precise detail. This work follows the tradition of the garland painting, a genre popular in the seventeenth-century Netherlands and Flanders. In these compositions, a central religious or mythological scene is framed by a decorative border of flora, fauna, or other objects.
The central medallion depicts the Virgin and Child, rendered with the soft modelling characteristic of the period. This devotional image is enclosed within a dark, sculpted cartouche that provides a stark contrast to the surrounding botanical display. Van Kessel demonstrates his keen observation of nature through the variety of blooms included in the garland. Roses, tulips, carnations, and lilies are arranged with a sense of naturalistic abundance, each flower captured at a different stage of its life cycle. The artist employs a dark, neutral background to push the colours of the petals forward, creating a sense of depth and focus on the individual textures of the leaves and blossoms.
Such works were often collaborative, though Van Kessel was known for his ability to execute both the central figures and the surrounding still life elements with equal skill. The inclusion of specific flowers often carried symbolic weight in the seventeenth century, with lilies representing purity and roses frequently associated with the Virgin Mary. This piece reflects the scientific curiosity of the era, as artists documented the botanical specimens that were increasingly available through global trade and the growth of private gardens. The precision of the brushwork and the balanced composition demonstrate the technical control required to manage such a complex arrangement of disparate elements.
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
The Virgin and Child, in a Sculpted Cartouche, Surrounded by Garlands of Roses, Tulips, Carnations, Lillies and Other Flowers - Jan van Kessel the Elder
Artist Biography
Jan Van Kessel The Elder
He was born in Antwerp in 1626, the grandson of Jan Brueghel the Elder through his mother Paschasia. He studied under Simon de Vos and later received instruction from his uncle and godfather Jan Brueghel the Younger. He became a master in the Guild of Saint Luke in 1644 as a flower painter, though flowers were only one of his subjects. He painted garlands, bouquets, marines, river landscapes, paradise scenes, allegories and genre subjects, but he is best known for tiny, jewel-like paintings of insects and shells on copper, depicted against light backgrounds with scientific exactitude.
He worked from nature and from illustrated scientific texts, blending direct observation with published sources. His small insect panels were sometimes produced in pairs or as series designed to decorate the fronts of cabinet drawers where collectors stored actual specimens. The paintings served as both art and catalogue.
He used two different signatures depending on the size of the painting: a cursive, decorative version for larger formats and a more compact form for miniatures. The practice was later misinterpreted as evidence that two different painters were at work. He spent time in Spain as court painter to Philip IV and as a captain in the King's army, probably in the late 1640s. He married Maria van Apshoven in 1647; of their thirteen children, Ferdinand and Jan the Younger also became painters. He died in Antwerp in 1679.
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