FAMILIA STANCHI

(S.XVII)

STANCHI FAMILY Rome (17th century) "Double garland of flowers with the Virgin and Child"

Oil on canvas. The Stanchi family ran one of the most important painting workshops specialising in still lifes in Rome in the mid-17th century, receiving commissions from the most important families of the time such as the Chigi, Barberini, Medici and Orsini. The attribution of their works among the different members of the workshop has always been confusing, since it was not until recently when more in-depth studies have begun to be made about them, and various works attributed to Flemish and Italian painters have now been returned to different members of the Stanchi, especially Giovanni, the eldest brother, who was a teacher and head of the workshop, and whose pictorial level stood out above that of his brothers. This work, with its striking double garland full of flowers, is very similar to some of Giovanni's paintings, such as the one kept at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux (Bx E 1069.10), previously attributed to the Flemish painter Jan Philip van Thielen (1618-1667). It is also possible that it could be attributed to another member of the Stanchi family, in this case to his sister Anna, of whom we know some signed works and whose pictorial quality is also remarkable. Dimensions: 132 x 117 cm