Dirck de Bray, 'Flowers in a White Stone Vase', 1671
Full title | Flowers in a White Stone Vase |
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Artist | Dirck de Bray |
Artist dates | about 1635 - 1694 |
Date made | 1671 |
Medium and support | Oil on wood |
Dimensions | 62 × 44 cm |
Inscription summary | Signed; Dated |
Acquisition credit | On loan from the collection of Janice and Brian Capstick |
Inventory number | L1245 |
Location | Not on display |
Image copyright | On loan from the collection of Janice and Brian Capstick, © Private Collection |
Collection | Main Collection |
For this bouquet, de Bray has selected only flowers that bloom in the same season, at the beginning of summer. Thus the artist’s goal was to paint a natural bouquet and not an imaginary one.
The stark beauty of this bouquet is a far cry from more typical, densely crowded compositions. De Bray masterfully balanced the height of the columbines and peony with the trailing morning glories. The palette is boldly limited, the red and white petals contrasting dramatically with the dark, impenetrable background. These colour accents are skillfully arranged, as for example the ladybird tiptoeing along the marble which provides an intelligent red counterpoint amidst the blue notes. This painting has a quiet, mystical quality conveyed by details like the bumblebee, quietly hiding behind the pot.
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