Flowers in a stoneware vase on a ledge with a lizard and a snail

In the early 1630s, Marell moved to Utrecht, where his work quickly assumed influences from the city’s leading flower and still life painter, Ambrosius Bosschaert the Younger (1609-1645), an artist known for his jewel-like flower paintings. Marell also looked to the work of Roelant Savery (1576-1639), who was known for the dynamism, dramatic shadows, and plasticity of his still life paintings. Through this complex network of influences, the artist adopted various elements from across his artistic milieu. Motifs like the lizard and snail in the present work, for example, show Savery’s influence, while the precise, scientific observation of the blooms in the vase clearly betray the influence of Bosschaert.
We are grateful to Dr. Fred G. Meijer for confirming the attribution after inspection of the original.