Fil:MatsysFlora.jpg

(b, ca, 1 510  Antwerpen  d, 1 575  Antwerpen)

Flora 1 559 Oil on wood  113 2 x 112 9 cm Kunsthalle  Hamburg

Jan Massys  the eldest son of Quentin Massys  painted Flora  the Roman goddess of flowers in 1 559, As if bestowing her blessing of fertility  she holds three carnations above a landscape highlighted by the skyline of Antwerp, The red and white blooms allude to the city's colours, The spires of the cathedral and   by her elbow  the abbey of St Michael are visible, Closer examination reveals that the river Scheldt is filled with ships  ranging from seagoing galleys to smaller vessels capable of navigating the region's canals and rivers, Flora sits in a garden of a suburban villa,

Massys's picture is an allegory of Antwerp's prosperity and peace, Massy showed the city at its economic and artistic peak just before the political and religious troubles of the mid-1 560s and 1 570s, He alluded too to the city's artistic sophistication, The voluptuous goddess was inspired by the nudes of the Fontainebleau school, Flora's pose  however  mimics the Sleeping Ariadne  a second-century Roman statue in the Vatican,

The panoramic vista may have been executed by Jan's younger brother  Cornelis  who specialized in landscapes  just as Jan favoured figure painting,

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Author: MASSYS  Jan Title: Flora Time-line: 1 501-1 550 School: Flemish Form: painting