17 - ANDRIES DANIELS (Antwerp, c. 1580 – after 1640) & FRANS FRANCKEN II (Antwerp, Belgium, 1581 – 1642).

ANDRIES DANIELS (Antwerp, c. 1580 – after 1640) & FRANS FRANCKEN II (Antwerp, Belgium, 1581 – 1642). “Garland with Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata.” Oil on panel.The reverse is reinforced with a strip of fabric. Features a label on the reverse. Measurements: 64 x 50 cm; 87 x 73 cm (frame). The combination of a religious scene of great devotional intensity with an exuberant floral garland was one of the most popular motifs in Dutch Baroque painting. This composition is the result of a collaboration between two of the most sought-after artists of the period: Frans Francken II, who painted the figurative scene, and Andries Daniels, a painter specializing in flowers and still lifes. This partnership, characteristic of the Antwerp school, allowed for a high degree of specialization and quality in this genre. The composition depicts Saint Francis of Assisi at the moment he receives the stigmata, a central episode in his iconography that represents the saint’s spiritual identification with the suffering of Christ. The work belongs to the tradition of Flemish garland paintings, a genre that developed particularly in Antwerp in the early 17th century, in which figure painters and flower specialists routinely collaborated. In this context, the comparison with the *Vase of Tulips* (c. 1620–1625), held at the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts and created by Andries Daniels in collaboration with Frans Francken II, is particularly significant. This work serves as a particularly close point of reference, as it highlights the association between the two artists and their ability to integrate Daniels’s expertise in floral painting with Francken’s figurative style. Frans Francken II (Antwerp, 1581–1642). A Flemish painter belonging to a prominent dynasty of artists, he was the son and pupil of Frans Francken I. He joined the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1605, where he developed a significant career as a cabinet painter, specializing in small- and medium-format religious, mythological, and allegorical scenes. His work exerted a notable influence on 17th-century Flemish painting, and he collaborated with numerous specialists in landscapes, architecture, and still lifes. His works are represented in major collections, including the Prado Museum, the Louvre, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Andries Daniels (Antwerp, c. 1580–after 1640). A Flemish painter who specialized in still lifes of flowers and ornamental garlands. He trained as a pupil of Pieter Brueghel the Younger, registering as an apprentice with the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1599 and attaining the status of master in 1602. He played a prominent role in the development of Flemish floral garlands, collaborating with Frans Francken II on religious and devotional compositions. His work is characterized by rich colors, botanical precision, and the ornamental arrangement of the flowers.