Artwork
Holy Family in a Wreath of Flowers
Holy Family in a Wreath of Flowers is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Erasmus Quellinus II. It dates from 1636 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work combines religious iconography with floral painting, depicting the Holy Family encircled by a wreath.
Created in 1636, Holy Family in a Wreath of Flowers is an oil painting executed on a panel support. The work combines religious iconography with floral painting, depicting the Holy Family encircled by a wreath. Measuring 84.5 cm in height and 66.5 cm in width, the piece originates from Flanders.
The collaboration between Frans Ykens and Erasmus Quellinus II results in a composition that integrates figures with elaborate botanical elements, characteristic of the era's Flemish religious art.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1636, as indicated by its documented inception date.
It entered the Hermitage Museum’s holdings as part of the Crozat collection. Louis Antoine Crozat previously owned the work before its transfer to the museum, where it has been located since.
The painting Holy Family in a Wreath of Flowers is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The work was created in 1636 by Frans Ykens and Erasmus Quellinus II. It was previously owned by Louis Antoine Crozat before entering the Hermitage's holdings.
The museum catalog records the piece as an oil painting on panel, measuring 84.5 cm in height and 66.5 cm in width. No specific exhibition history is detailed in the provided sources.
Context
Erasmus Quellinus II painted Holy Family in a Wreath of Flowers in 1636, a religious oil painting on panel measuring 84.5 cm by 66.5 cm. The work depicts the Holy Family within a floral wreath and was created in Flanders. It entered the collection of Louis Antoine Crozat before being acquired by the Hermitage Museum, where it remains part of the religious art holdings. Scholarship on the painting emphasizes its intricate floral symbolism and its connection to contemporary Flemish devotional practices, situating it within the broader context of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish religious painting.
Overview
Erasmus Quellinus II painted Holy Family in a Wreath of Flowers in 1636. Executed in oil, the work belongs to the Flemish Baroque tradition and is now part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection. It presents the Virgin, child, and Joseph framed by an abundant floral garland.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on the Holy Family: a woman cradling an infant, with a male figure standing behind her. The surrounding wreath of roses, tulips and assorted blossoms functions as a symbolic halo, emphasizing purity, fertility and the divine nature of the scene.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Erasmus Quellinus the Younger or Erasmus Quellinus II (November 19, 1607 – November 11, 1678) was a Flemish painter, engraver, draughtsman and tapestry designer who worked in various genres including history, portrait, allegorical, battle…
Holy Family
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