The Virgin and Child with Saint John and His Parents 

This devotional scene was painted with oil on canvas by Jacob Jordaens, a Flemish artist active in the seventeenth century. As with many painters of his time, Jordaens employed a studio of assistants to expedite production, and the visible brushwork here gives a sense of this collective effort. Consider especially the drapery – the rich red cloak worn by the Virgin Mary, and the grey fabric covering Saint John’s father. These were likely executed by experienced workshop members, who could convincingly render the texture and fall of cloth. This specialization was not simply for speed. It also reflects the guilds of the period, which set standards for painters, weavers, and other professions. Ultimately, Jordaens, as the master, would have overseen the entire composition, ensuring that the final product met his standards, and would add the figures’ faces. So, it's not just about aesthetics, but also the social and economic conditions of artistic production at the time.