Jan Brueghel d. Ä., genannt „Sammetbrueghel“ oder... Lot n° 294

large floral style life with diamond oil on wood. Verso parquet blocks. 65 x 43 cm. Attached an expertise of Dr. Jaco Rutgers, Tilburg Netherlands, July 2, 2020. The picture format shows itself emphatically stretched up. This may have been in the intention of the painter to be able to present a particularly high bouquet of the most diverse flowers, whereby here the spherical vase, both in size and in the tonal color, was deliberately intended to attract less of the very first attention. The individual blossoms are rendered with meticulous accuracy, and the color tones are distributed in the tall oval of the bouquet in a decidedly considered manner, so that a balance has been achieved despite all these different, sometimes strong colors. As pointed out in the enclosed expert report, some pentimenti, i.e. changes during the painting process, can be recognized: For example, the upper yellow tulip blossom was originally intended to be placed even higher up, which is considered an additional indication of the emphatically high format. On the other hand, these changes also prove that this is probably one of the very first flower still lifes by the master, at a time when he was still trying to find more effective positions for individual blossoms. Thus, a change could also be discovered in the yellow tulip on the right below the blue iris. All these observations show that the composition, which appears so simple at first glance, was by no means fixed from the outset for Brueghel, but should rather be seen as the result of a work process. From the flowers blooming at different times alone, it is clear that Brueghel was active over the corresponding months, since he always painted the blossoms according to nature. From the preserved correspondence between Brueghel and his patrons in Milan, Cardinal Federico Borromeo and Ercole Bianchi, it is clear that the painter devoted himself to this pictorial theme as late as 1606 or somewhat earlier, seeking to combine common flowers with distinctly rare blossoms. This, of course, required trips to appropriate flower markets between Brussels and Antwerp, foregoing any collaboration from other painters. This early dating also agrees with the dendrochronological expertise (Prof. Dr. Peter Klein), which indicates a possible origin of the painting from 1598. A special feature of this painting is the insertion of small diamonds, seen on the lower right of the tabletop between beetles and the jasmine flower. This comes from a statement of the Milanese patron Cardinal Federico Borromeo, already mentioned: according to his statements (Musaeum 1625), a painting has the value of precious stones, and he would have paid for it accordingly. Thus, with this flower painting by Brueghel we are also dealing with a document of still life painting of the time in general. A comparable still life can be found in the painting department of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna (GG-548), with a similar distribution and use of flowers. There, too, objects of value can be seen at the appropriate place on the tabletop: a gemstone ring, diamonds and coins; although the coin date 1599 cannot be clearly seen as dating the painting. The author of the enclosed expertise requests the owner of the painting to make this important work available on loan for the planned exhibition "The Brueghel Dynasty" at the Noordbrabants Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch for fall 2023. Note: Jan Brueghel the Elder was the son of Pieter Brueghel I (c. 1525-c. 1569) and the younger brother of Pieter Brueghel II (c. 1564-1637/38). His friendship with Paul Bril (c. 1554-1626) on the occasion of their joint stay in Rome is well known, as is his collaboration with Johann Rottenhammer (1564-1625). Back in Flanders, he became a member of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 1597, and later its dean. His son Jan Brueghel the Younger also successfully continued the painting tradition. In Prague in 1604, he subsequently worked for the court in Brussels. Finally, the group portrait of his family, painted by Peter Paul Rubens, testifies to the artist's rank in his time (Courtauld Gallery London). A.R. (1302111) (1) Jan Brueghel the Elder, also known as "Velvet-Brueghel" or "Flower-Brueghel", 1568 Brussels - 1625 Antwerp LARGE FLOWER STILL LIFE WITH DIAMONDS Oil on panel. Parquetting slats on the reverse. 65 x 43 cm. Accompanied by an expert's report by Dr Jaco Rutgers, Tilburg NL, 2 July 2020. It is obvious that the composition of the present painting is the result of a work process. This is probably one of the very first flower still lifes by the master, at a time when he was still trying to find more effective positions for individual flowers. For example, the top yellow tulip was originally intended to be placed h