Daniel Seghers (1590-1661)

Daniël Seghers or Daniel Seghers (1590-166) was a Flemish Jesuit brother and painter who specialized in flower still lifes. He is particularly well known for his contributions to the genre of flower garland painting. His paintings were collected enthusiastically by aristocratic patrons and he had numerous followers and imitators. Daniel Seghers was born in Antwerp, but after his  father's death he was taken by his mother to live in Utrecht, where his artistic training began. In 1609 or 1610 he returned to Antwerp where he completed his training under Jan Brueghel I, before being accepted as an independent master in the local guild in 1611. Breughel is thought to have effected his reversion to the Catholic faith (he had been raised as a Protestant in Utrecht), and in 1614 he was admitted to the Jesuit Order, taking his final vows in 1625. Thereafter he was sent to the Jesuit Order in Rome, where he stayed until 1627 before returning to Antwerp where he remained for the rest of his life. Seghers was already held in the highest regard for his flower painting during his own lifetime and his popularity is attested to by the existence of the artist's own inventory of 239 of his pictures.