Flemish school 17th century "Saint Dominic in garland of flowers" Oil on copper. On the pedestal

Flemish school 17th century "Saint Dominic in garland of flowers" Oil on copper. On the pedestal are the initials PPR. These initials correspond with one of Rubens´ recognised signatures, which could indicate that this painting comes from his workshop. Rubens rarely signed his work, however, his signatures appear rather frequently on paintings from his studio. On the other hand, many paintings with Saint Dominic as the main character came from the artist’s workshop. This painting could be part of the same series, of which two more copper pieces have been found and dated. One of them was signed by the master of flowers, Jan van Kessel the elder, and depicted an image of the Virgin Mary surrounded by the Christ Child and the infant Saint John. It was exhibited and published in the catalogue of "Masters of Flemish and Dutch Painting of the 17th Century” in the Siyasa Museum, in Cieza, Mucia. In this same catalogue Professor Matías Díaz Padrón attributes the figures which appear in the scene to the painter Cornelius Schut, who was very much influenced by Rubens and who worked with the Antwerp master for a while in his workshop. The second copper in the series depicts the Holy Family with Saint John and was sold at Feriarte in 2006. The three coppers have identical measurements and could well have been painted by the same artists, and it seems that particularly the flower painter is the same. What is without doubt, however, is the mastery with which the flowers on the Garland have been painted. With regard to the “portrait” of the saint, the skill with which it has been executed is outstanding. The outline, made with just one brush-stroke, completing the entire outline of the hood in a vigorous style
85 x 68 cm.