Ambrosius Benson. Bruges oil on panel.

Madonna and Child accompanied by the infant Saint John the Baptist. This composition of very good execution shows the characteristics of Benson's work. The chiaroscuro, in particular on the face or the hair of the Virgin, the work of the hands of the Virgin with the elongated fingers, the outline of the nails or the expression of the Virgin. This work is extraordinarily close to the Benson housed in the Museo de Bellas Artes in Seville, thus illustrating the lucrative trade established by Benson with Spain. Our painting is undoubtedly commissioned by a wealthy Spanish around 1645 and perfectly illustrates the series produced by Benson for his active trade to Spain, where the master carried out the main themes and left his pupils to paint the minor elements, probably the still life here, and perhaps also the Virgin's mantle.

The majority of works by Benson that have reached us come from Spain because of the master's relations with this country and its prosperous exports, mainly due to Spanish orders.
Comes from an old bourgeois family from Barcelona who made their fortune in the textile trade, then by descent.
Bibliography: Georges Marlier: Ambrosius Benson and painting in Bruges at the time of Charles-Quit, Damme 1957 - Max J. Friendländer, Ambrosius Benson als Bildnismaler, Jahrbuch der Preussischen Kunstsammlungen, Heft 3, 1910.

Origin: Bruges, Netherlands

Medium: Oil on panel

Size: 78 x 69 cm; 100 x 89 cm (frame)

Period: 16th century

Condition: Stabilized lunges

Price: on demand

Ref.211