Northern Italian school; ca. 1700. "Portrait of a lady with a border of flowers". Oil on canvas. It has restorations, repainting and overpainted varnish. Measurements: 109 x 144 cm (frame). The floral repertoire that is combined in the work offers an attractive variety, identifying a good number of species: tulips, blue anemones, roses and chrysanthemums and also a blue hyacinth, which stand out in their wide chromatic range on the dark green background of the foliage that articulates the whole set. Inscribed in this border of flowers are two human figures. This is a woman on the right-hand side of the composition, of whom only a long bust can be seen, as she is inscribed within the border of flowers. The woman appears elegant to the viewer, both in her clothing and her posture. She directs one of her hands to her chest, while the other is placed on the border of flowers, and despite the fact that she is facing the viewer, she turns her face slightly, without evading the viewer's gaze. This characteristic lends a certain haughtiness or gallantry to the lady, who appears to belong to a high social class. Next to her on the left of the painting, a man can be seen walking towards the lady, although she is not paying any attention to him. He is holding out his hands to the woman, holding out some coins. Through the representation of the two figures, the artist proposes a play of contrasts that lends great dynamism to the work. He depicts an old man with a long grey beard and dark skin, dressed in what appear to be very humble rags. The lady, on the other hand, stands out for her youth and pearly skin. This aesthetic play invites the viewer to think of a representation that goes beyond portraiture, thus capturing a scene of great allegorical content. The artist has given the painting an intuitive, unforced perspective, allowing the figures to breathe, with a great difference in their attitude and gesture. In the first quarter of the 17th century a new form of flower painting developed in Flemish painting, which was recreated by a large group of artists and workshops and achieved considerable success in much of Europe in the course of the century: the garland of flowers as a framing and enhancing element for a central theme of a religious nature. Brueghel de Velurs was the initiator of this type of composition, particularly linked in his work to the depiction of the Virgin and Child. However, it was his pupil, the Jesuit Daniel Seghers, who was the dominant figure in this specialised production and the creator of a prototype that would serve as a model for the numerous artists who followed in his footsteps. Dimensions 109 x 144 cm (frame).