It is not widely known that many sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish paintings were made by more than one artist. Often these are exceptionally fine works that form the highlights in the oeuvre of the individual masters. The joint paintings by the eminent Antwerp artists Jan Brueghel the Elder and Peter Paul Rubens are true masterpieces and belong to the best of what was created within the genre. For art lovers and collectors alike it was very appealing to acquire a painting that united the best qualities of these famous masters: Rubens painted the figures while Brueghel was responsible for the landscapes, flora and fauna. The extraordinary collaboration Konstjuweelen, in kompagnie geordonnert en geschildert (Art Treasures Commissioned and Painted in Partnership) were not made for the open market but for a select international group of connoisseurs. Rubens nBrueghel: A Working Friendship draws together the most important collaborative paintings, including mythological landscapes, depictions of the Garden of Eden, allegories, and Madonna and Child with garlands of flowers and fruit. The paintings tell the remarkable story of the friendship between Rubens and Brueghel. SELLING POINTS: Assembled here are some of the most important works of Brueghel and Ruben's partnership, as well as a select group of works executed with other collaborators such as Hans Rottenhammer and Frans Snyders. These paintings reveal the nature of collaboration as practiced in the Netherlands during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. What also emerges is the unique character of Brueghel and Ruben's conceptual alliance - a rare partnership of equals, a complex and reciprocal relationship, that gave rise to works of unparalleled delight 103 b/w
