18 - Hispano-Flemish School. 16th century.

Hispano-Flemish School. 16th century. “Madonna and Child” Oil on panel. 99 x 77 cm. Our painting is featured and reproduced in the chapter "L'antiquària Maria Esclasans (1875–1947) i el comerç d'art antic a Barcelona"by Alberto Velasco. Speaking about the Flemish paintings in María Esclasans' collection, Velasco comments: "A second Flemish painting that Esclasans kept throughout his life is a panel depicting the Virgin and Child, in which Jesus stands on his mother’s lap and embraces her with his left arm. The antique dealer’s heirs have also confirmed to us that this work was acquired from another prominent antique dealer of the time, Celestine Dupont. This composition is inspired by a highly successful original by Rogier Van der Weyden, which depicted the figures inside a loggia overlooking a garden. This can be seen, for example, in a drawing preserved in the print room of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Dresden (inv. C '780). This model enjoyed exceptional success in the first half of the 16th century, to the point that in a master’s thesis defended very recently at the University of Brussels by Alexandre Dimov, 132 copies scattered throughout the world were documented, with numerous examples in Spain (Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts, Prado Museum, Museum of Navarre, Museum of Zaragoza, and Seville Museum of Fine Arts), some of which were created by local Spanish masters. The popularity of this model lasted until the 18th century.” Provenance: - Former collection of María Esclasans, Barcelona. - Private collection, Barcelona. Bibiography: Alberto Velasco Gonzàlez, "L'antiquària Maria Esclasans (1875-1947) i el comerç d'art antic a Barcelona", in Bonaventura Bassegoda; Ignasi Domènech (eds.), Agents del mercat artístic i col·leccionistes. Nous estudis sobre el patrimoni artístic de Catalunya als segles XIX i XX, Bellaterra [y otras], Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona [y otras], 2017, pp. 181-229.