The Verbruggens — from religious garland paintings to non-religious ones

The subject of this study is the flower garlands created by father and son Gaspar Peeter Verbrugghen I (1635–1681) and Gaspar Peeter Verbrugghen II (1664–1730). The problem of the development of garlands in art, which is the focus of the study, is to identify the transformation that occurs with them, which is clearly visible when comparing the works of Verbrugghen I and Verbrugghen II. The methods used in the work are the following: source, iconographic and stylistic analyses. The scientific novelty is the fact that the Verbruggens were among the most popular flower painters in Flanders, and their talent in decorative painting motivated other artists to continue developing this type of genre. There are literature devoted to garlands, studies of individual paintings and publications concerning biographical details of the artists' lives, yet there are no publications that trace the evolution of the garland using the work of the Verbruggens as an example. The results of the study show that the Verbruggens represent an important milestone in the development of garland painting. From father to son, garland paintings were valued not only for their religious significance but also for their decorative effect. Such paintings were painted not only in Flanders but also in other European countries, and were painted until the 18th century.