Lot Essay
The support is stamped with the maker's mark of Pieter Stas. This is cut by the edge of the plate but originally gave his full name, a form which seems to have replaced in 1608 a stamp giving only his initials (see J.A. Welu, catalogue of the exhibition The Collector's Cabinet - Flemish Paintings from New England private collections, Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, Mass., 6 Nov. 1983-29 Jan. 1984, p. 135, note 3; and the catalogue of the sale at Sotheby's New York, 1 June 1990, comparative fig. to lot 20).
Most of the flowers in the present picture are found in still-lifes generally accepted as the work of Jan Brueghel the Elder. The orange blossom is shown (along with a similar glass vase) in his Flowers in a glass Vase in the Ambrosiana, Milan (K. Ertz, Jan Brueghel der Altere, Cologne, 1979, no. 178, pl. 333), and the nasturtiums in ibid., no. 132, pl. 340. The large tulip recurs in a similar position in ibid., nos. 207, 208a and 208, pls. 334 and 355-6; in the latter it is accompanied by an identical stem of narcissi and small tulip. The iris corresponds with those in ibid., nos. 181 and 208a, pls. 338 and 355. Additionally, the butterfly at upper right is similar to that on the left in ibid., no. 180, pl. 337.
Several of the flowers also recur in flower pieces by Jan Brueghel the Younger. Indeed, the lower right section of the present composition, including the carnations, the nasturtiums, the orange blossom, the forget-me-nots and several of the leaves, recurs in the small copper plate by him sold at Sotheby's, Monaco, 8 December 1984, lot 348. The shells, butterfly and greenbottle fly, which show the influence of Ambrosius Bosschaert, and the drops of water, all elements also in the lower part of the picture, are features of the work of the son which are not found in the work of his father.
Qualitatively, the execution of parts of the present painting is superior to that of others. While the lower part is characteristic of the work of Jan Brueghel the Younger, the central and upper sections are finer than the son's work even when he most closely emulates his father (compare, for instance, K. Ertz, Jan Brueghel the Younger, Freren, 1984, no. 279, colour pl. 56). It thus seems probable that the present painting was begun by Jan Brueghel the Elder and that the lower part was completed by Jan Brueghel the Younger.
Most of the flowers in the present picture are found in still-lifes generally accepted as the work of Jan Brueghel the Elder. The orange blossom is shown (along with a similar glass vase) in his Flowers in a glass Vase in the Ambrosiana, Milan (K. Ertz, Jan Brueghel der Altere, Cologne, 1979, no. 178, pl. 333), and the nasturtiums in ibid., no. 132, pl. 340. The large tulip recurs in a similar position in ibid., nos. 207, 208a and 208, pls. 334 and 355-6; in the latter it is accompanied by an identical stem of narcissi and small tulip. The iris corresponds with those in ibid., nos. 181 and 208a, pls. 338 and 355. Additionally, the butterfly at upper right is similar to that on the left in ibid., no. 180, pl. 337.
Several of the flowers also recur in flower pieces by Jan Brueghel the Younger. Indeed, the lower right section of the present composition, including the carnations, the nasturtiums, the orange blossom, the forget-me-nots and several of the leaves, recurs in the small copper plate by him sold at Sotheby's, Monaco, 8 December 1984, lot 348. The shells, butterfly and greenbottle fly, which show the influence of Ambrosius Bosschaert, and the drops of water, all elements also in the lower part of the picture, are features of the work of the son which are not found in the work of his father.
Qualitatively, the execution of parts of the present painting is superior to that of others. While the lower part is characteristic of the work of Jan Brueghel the Younger, the central and upper sections are finer than the son's work even when he most closely emulates his father (compare, for instance, K. Ertz, Jan Brueghel the Younger, Freren, 1984, no. 279, colour pl. 56). It thus seems probable that the present painting was begun by Jan Brueghel the Elder and that the lower part was completed by Jan Brueghel the Younger.