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The Antwerp painter Daniel Seghers often worked with other artists. In this case, he asked Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert to paint the statue of the Virgin Mary, while he did the stone frame and the flowers himself.
From the 1640s onwards, lively and natural-looking arrangement, full of sophistication and variety, determine the appearance of the many garlands and festoons painted round medallions and niches by Daniel Seghers. The Garland of Flowers of 1645 round the Virgin Mary, painted by Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert, is one of the earliest example.
Besides being a flower painter, Seghers was also a Jesuit. This large painting was a gift from his order to the Protestant stadholder Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange and his wife Amalia van Solms, which explains the oranges and the orange blossom. As a token of the stadtholder's appreciation, Seghers received a gold rosary and two gold crucifixes. The painting was hung above the mantelpiece in Huis ten Bosch Palace.
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