Depicting bouquets of similar size and arrangement, this painting and Flowers in a porcelain Wan-li Vase were painted as a pair to be seen together. A purple crocus hangs over the centre edge of each vase, and tulips, red poppy anemones and roses recur in both. Although the stoneware vase here suggests a certain plainness in comparison with the pendant’s refined Chinese porcelain, both bouquets are extravagant, combining indigenous flowers – such as the snake’s head fritillary, sweet briar rose, and pansies – with costly specimens imported from the Mediterranean and Asia Minor.
In order to create a sense of depth, Beert often depicted the flowers at the edges of his arrangements in shadow. Here, the most distant leaves almost recede into the grey-green background. The plain ledge on which the vase sits is a common feature of Beert’s still lifes, as is the panel support: 17th-century artists frequently painted on wood or copper in order to attain the smoothest possible finish for their paintings.
Artist | Osaias Beert the Elder |
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Artist dates | 1580 - 1624 |
Full title | Flowers in a Serpentine Vase |
Series | Two Flower Paintings |
Date made | about 1615 |
Medium and support | Oil on wood |
Dimensions | 35 × 24.5 cm |
Acquisition credit | On loan from the collection of Janice and Brian Capstick |
Inventory number | L1205 |
Location in Gallery | Not on display |
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