Andries Daniels

Daniels is known as a painter of still lifes, in particular still lifes of flowers in flamboyant vases, and flower garlands.[6] Not many of his works are known as he was only rediscovered in the 1950s–1960s.[5]

Only one signed painting, the Garland of Flowers around an Image of the Holy Family and Angels (current location unknown, at Galleria Lorenzelli, Bergamo in 1967) bearing the signature 'ANDRIES.DANIELS.F.' has been found so far. This work has been the basis for attributing additional works to the artist, in particular works previously attributed to Jan Brueghel the Elder. However, art historians do not agree on various attributions and earlier attributions have been contested subsequently. An example is the Garland of Flowers with Virgin and Child in the Hermitage Museum, the flower part of which was attributed to Daniels by Ingvar Bergström before 1966. This attribution has been challenged by Fred G. Meijer who found that the Hermitage painting's execution of the flowers is different from the handling of flowers in the signed painting.[7][4] The attribution to Daniels of a Virgin and Child in a Garland of Flowers, (c. 1608, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan) traditionally attributed to Jan Brueghel the Elder has also failed to find unanimous support among experts.[4]

Bouquet of flowers in a metal jug

Andries Daniels' flower pieces are close to those of the Antwerp painter Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder to whom they have been attributed frequently. The composition, colour and lighting, however, call to mind the work of Jan Brueghel the Elder, the brother of Daniels' master Pieter Brueghel the Younger who was also famous for his flower still lifes.[5] Although often a symbolic meaning has been attributed to the flower paintings, such as the vanitas meaning of the transience of worldly things, the principal aim of the artist in these works is to create a convincing illusionistic effect.[4]

In the tradition of other Antwerp flower paintings, Daniels did not paint the flower bouquets directly from life. His bouquets are often made up of flowers which bloom in different seasons and the stems of some of the smaller flowers are ostensibly extended so that they can match up with the taller flowers. The bouquets were in fact created by using studies of individual blooms created at the time when the flowers where in season or copied from other sources. He used these models as aids when composing floral arrangements in his compositions. As a result of this common practice, very similar flowers appear in multiple paintings and flowers painted by one artist sometimes turn up in work of a different artist.[4]

As was common in Antwerp artistic practice in the 17th century, Daniels often teamed up with another specialist painter to create collaborative works. An example of this is the Vase with tulips (1620–25, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum). In this work, Daniels painted the flowers while the Antwerp figure painter Frans Francken the Younger painted the sculpted vase. Frans Francken the Younger was a leading artist in Antwerp in his time and operated a large workshop which produced high quality autograph works for the luxury market as well as mass-produced paintings for a lower market segment. It is believed that the numerous vases of flowers and garlands around figures and vases of flowers, that are traditionally attributed to Francken and Daniels are likely the work of Francken's studio. Daniels may have been an employee in Francken's workshop. The fact that he was permitted to sign one of his own compositions shows that he likely enjoyed a privileged position.[4]

Holy Family with St. Anne in a Garland of Flowers

Daniels played a role in the development of the genre of garland paintings. Garland paintings are a special type of still life developed in Antwerp by artists such as Jan Brueghel the Elder, Hendrick van Balen, Frans Francken the Younger, Peter Paul Rubens and Daniel Seghers. They typically show a flower garland around a devotional image or portrait. This genre was inspired by the cult of veneration and devotion to Mary prevalent at the Habsburg court (then the rulers over the southern Netherlands) and in Antwerp generally.[3]

Garland paintings were usually collaborations between a still life and a figure painter.[3] Daniels collaborated with other artists such as Frans Francken the Younger and Jacob Jordaens, who would paint the devotional images while Daniels painted the flowers and flower garlands in the picture.[6]

Together with Frans Francken, he further developed the genre of garland paintings, creating many special forms, among them garlands around medallions with the decades of the rosary.[3]