Abraham Brueghel, Girl with Flowers and Fruit, 1680, Oil on Canvas, Framed

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Description

Abraham brueghel (antwerp 1631 - naples 1690) workshop of
girl with flowers and fruit
(as allegory of summer)
oil on … Read more Abraham brueghel (antwerp 1631 - naples 1690) workshop of
girl with flowers and fruit
(as allegory of summer)
oil on canvas (80 x 60 cm - framed 105 x 85 cm)
expertise: prof. Alberto cottino
bibliography: alberto cottino, abraham brueghel 1631-1697. A master of still life between antwerp, rome, and naples, etgraphiae, rome 2022.

the painting in question, of remarkable quality and artistic quality, depicts a beautiful young woman, portrayed in a graceful pose, dressed in an elegantly draped dress with a plunging neckline, her hair gathered with a string of pearls, accentuating her beauty. With one hand she grasps a flowering branch, while with the other she seems to invite the viewer to admire the opulence of the composition, of flowers and fruit, which she holds close.

from the mid-17th century onwards, the fashion for these decorative depictions of mythological girls in settings adorned with flowers or fruit quickly spread throughout italy, but especially in rome. Beyond their decorative nature, this type of painting presumably also had a symbolic meaning, for example in its connection with flowers and fruit, as a metaphor for feminine beauty and youth.

another possible meaning of the painting in question, given the woman's beauty and pose, could be an erotic allusion, not uncommon even in a culture dominated by the restrictions of the counter-reformation.

it is a painting of immediate beauty, combining remarkable pictorial finesse with a scenic construction capable of satisfying even the most discerning gaze.

the work's style, with its softly textured textures and vibrant colors, traces it back to the roman setting of the second half of the 17th century. As professor alberto cottino noted in his study on the work, the work was created by a skilled painter from the workshop of the great flemish still-life painter abraham brueghel (antwerp 1631–1690 naples), likely under his direct supervision.

the analysis of the stylistic and figurative characteristics, particularly the refined style, well-balanced with baroque exuberance, as well as the setting with elements of classicist influence, are typical of brueghel's work.

in our case, as cottino indicates, the work would be a version (with minor variations) of the well-known canvas of "girl with flowers and fruit," executed by brueghel in collaboration with the pistoia painter luigi garzi, published in the same scholar's monograph on brueghel (alberto cottino, "abraham brueghel 1631-1697. A master of still life between antwerp, rome, and naples," etgraphiae, rome, 2022, p. 100, no. 46).

the main differences between the two paintings are found in the slight reduction in size of the painting studied here (the published painting measures 98 x 75 cm) and a slight discrepancy in the girl's physiognomy, whose profile here is slightly more elongated.

it was, in fact, a custom in the workshops of seventeenth-century painters to repeat the subjects of their most successful paintings, sometimes even multiple times, and brueghel is certainly no exception. Our example echoes brueghel's painting, maintaining its elegance and freshness, as well as its executive ease, so much so that cottino has suggested a possible attribution to his brother and trusted collaborator, jan baptist brueghel (antwerp 1647 – rome 1719), who assisted him on the numerous commissions that a highly successful workshop had to complete.

among the works we can mention, for comparison, see: the collaboration between guglielmo cortese and abraham brueghel, the 'young woman with a putto in a garden with fruit and vegetables' (private collection, modena) (1), or the collaboration between abraham brueghel and luigi garzi, the 'allegory of summer, ceres with a still life of peaches, figs, pomegranates and pumpkins' (2). And again, attributable to abraham brueghel alone, we can mention the 'bunch of flowers held by a vestal virgin' (3).

additional information:

the painting is sold with a beautiful frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic . This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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