Blooming Marvelous! Celebrating the First 130 Years of Dutch Flower Painting

Blooming Marvelous! Celebrating the First 130 Years of Dutch Flower Painting
Detail of "Vase of Flowers," circa 1670, by Jan Davidsz de Heem. Oil on canvas; 29 1/4 inches by 20 3/4 inches. Acquired by the Friends of the Mauritshuis Foundation with the support of the Rembrandt Association, 1993. Mauritshuis, The Hague.  Mauritshuis, The Hague
Lorraine Ferrier
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Nothing says beauty quite like a 17th-century Dutch flower still-life painting. Big, vibrant bouquets in opulent vases with insects and exotic fruit, blooms, and shells may first come to mind for such paintings. But in the 1600s, this new genre included a variety of styles from realistic bouquets to fantastical creations. Despite these different styles, all these flower still-life artists painted true to nature.
"Bouquet in a Clay Vase," circa 1607, by Jan Brueghel the Elder. Oil on panel; 20 1/8 inches by 15 3/4 inches. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)
"Bouquet in a Clay Vase," circa 1607, by Jan Brueghel the Elder. Oil on panel; 20 1/8 inches by 15 3/4 inches. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Lorraine Ferrier
Lorraine Ferrier
Author
Lorraine Ferrier writes about fine arts and craftsmanship for The Epoch Times. She focuses on artists and artisans, primarily in North America and Europe, who imbue their works with beauty and traditional values. She's especially interested in giving a voice to the rare and lesser-known arts and crafts, in the hope that we can preserve our traditional art heritage. She lives and writes in a London suburb, in England.
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