(active in Malines, c. 1538–1544)
An Allegory of Charity,
oil on panel, 79.5 x 59 cm, framed

Provenance
Private European Collection

Vincent Sellaer was a Flemish painter active between the fourth and fifth decade of the 16th century in Malines (Mechelen). Mechelen became the cultural centre of Flanders during the reign of Margaret of Austria (1480–1530), the Habsburg Regent. The painter was convincingly identified as Vincent Geldersman or Vincent Sellaer who, according to the biographer Karel van Mander, was known for his depictions of biblical women and mythological scenes. The unmistakable Italian influence reflected in Sellaer's work is partly a result of the Leonardoesque style of the time, which was popular amongst Flemish artists like Joos van Cleve, and a presumed trip to Italy where he would have come into contact with the work of Raphael and the Florentine mannerists.

The present painting depicts the Allegory of Charity. Charity is one of the three theological virtues together with Hope and Faith, and is seen here bare-breasted and feeding two children. Her delicate auburn hair is tied together with an elegant tiara and a veil. Beside her are two further children, one pulling its hair, the other holding up a mask. Leonardo's hold over Flemish Mannerist art is inescapable both in the pyramidal structure of the central figures and in the turned pose of the putto suckling to the right. Sellaer's knowledge of the Italian Renaissance is further shown by the putto in the upper left pulling its hair, for the pose echoes that of Donatello's bronze sculpture of Amore-Attis (circa 1440) in the Bargello, Florence, quoted by Vasari in the second edition of the Vite (1568) from the collection of the famous patron Giovanbattista Doni.

Famous antecedents, that put our painting in a chronological and stylistic context, are the panel Venere e Amore (1533 circa) by Pontormo at the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, the Allegoria del trionfo di Venere (1540–1545) by Agnolo Bronzino in the National Gallery in London, and the Caritas (1543–1545) by Francesco Salviati in the Uffizi, also in Florence.

Francesco Salviati's treatment of the present subject can be seen in the complex twists and turns of the figures. Moreover, the influence of Agnolo Bronzino is evident in the pearly fleshtones, as well as the subject matter which clearly echoes the Florentine artist's Allegory with Venus and Cupid.

A drawing of this composition is at the Department des Arts Graphiques du Louvre in Paris (inv. 2806, Recto). Catherine Monbeig Goguel considered it a copy of a lost painting by Bronzino or an artist near him, later Dominique Cordellier attributed the work to an anonymous French follower of Franceso Salviati.

Another version of the present painting, of lesser quality and with some compositional variations, has recently been at Sotheby’s, New York, 4 June 2015, lot 21.

The complex interaction of the figures in the painting is indicated by the suckling infant on the left, which was inspired by Leonardo's Madonna delle ciliegie - a theme particularly beloved by the Flemish followers of Leonardo da Vinci - and by the infant in the upper left, which deals with a theme of the antique: the masked cupid.