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Lot Essay
Unquestionably the most successful flower painter of the 18th century, Jan van Huysum can also be credited with singlehandedly adding a new chapter to the rich tradition of Dutch flower painting. His exuberant bouquets, set against bright backdrops with a view on a garden or woodland, were hugely innovative and remained highly influential into the 19th century.
In this cabinet-size painting, the artist has created a work of intimacy and modest refinement. The small bouquet of flowers sits in a plain glass vase instead of the more customary terracotta vessel decorated with figures in low relief. Similarly, van Huysum placed the bouquet on a simple plinth of stone instead of richly patterned marble. Although the space is still neutral, the artist has abandoned the dark background favoured by his predecessors. Van Huysum fitted the numerous species of flowers in a compact arrangement with a slight diagonal accent balancing the composition and explored to great effect the possibilities of employing lighter tonalities and more subtle contrasts of light and dark. The sober setting immediately draws the viewer’s eye to the virtuosity with which van Huysum has meticulously rendered the petals, stems and leaves of the flowers. The focus of the still life is the heavy calyx of a pink cabbage rose and the snowball, which catch the full light and seem to break out of the painted surface.
Fred Meijer, of The RKD, The Hague, has dated this picture on stylistic grounds to the first decade of the 18th century, on the basis of images.
In this cabinet-size painting, the artist has created a work of intimacy and modest refinement. The small bouquet of flowers sits in a plain glass vase instead of the more customary terracotta vessel decorated with figures in low relief. Similarly, van Huysum placed the bouquet on a simple plinth of stone instead of richly patterned marble. Although the space is still neutral, the artist has abandoned the dark background favoured by his predecessors. Van Huysum fitted the numerous species of flowers in a compact arrangement with a slight diagonal accent balancing the composition and explored to great effect the possibilities of employing lighter tonalities and more subtle contrasts of light and dark. The sober setting immediately draws the viewer’s eye to the virtuosity with which van Huysum has meticulously rendered the petals, stems and leaves of the flowers. The focus of the still life is the heavy calyx of a pink cabbage rose and the snowball, which catch the full light and seem to break out of the painted surface.
Fred Meijer, of The RKD, The Hague, has dated this picture on stylistic grounds to the first decade of the 18th century, on the basis of images.