Floral Wreath

Daniel Seghers was a Jesuit from Antwerp who specialised in painting flowers. His work as a whole is striking for his accurate observation, delicate brushwork and use of refined, harmonious colours. Seghers was a pupil of Jan Brueghel the Elder who was also a renowned painter of flowers and the inventor of the flower wreath around a stone cartouche. In the cartouche we often see a depiction of saints, usually executed by other painters. Seghers developed this motif even further. The flower wreaths, or garlands, often comprise numerous bouquets made up largely of marguerites and are put together irrespective of when they flower. The choice of flowers often depended on the saint portrayed. In this work, nothing has been painted in the cartouche. We can see Seghers’ signature at the bottom left.