Panel - 51 x 74 cm - Monogrammed and dated J.B. 1627Still lifes, XVIIth Paintings
Provenance:
• B. Meyer Collection, London;
• Mrs. Vandervell’s collection, England;
• private collection.
The free brushstroke and the use of enamelled colour are characteristic of the...
read moreProvenance:
• B. Meyer Collection, London;
• Mrs. Vandervell’s collection, England;
• private collection.
The free brushstroke and the use of enamelled colour are characteristic of the artist. Johannes Bosschaert charmed his contemporaries by presenting them with still lifes that concealed an undeniably innovative tone, even though they were classical in appearance. This opulent painting offers us a striking example.
The artist has arranged a basket of flowers on a wooden table facing the viewer. Bosschaert has overturned the basket and arranged the flowers as he pleases, charmingly combining the daintiness of the tulips, roses and irises. A china bowl filled with fruit counterbalances the composition with the help of delicious colours. The forms stand out from one another against a dark background which further enhances the intensity of the tones of the fruit and flowers. Johannes Bosschaert does not simply meticulously copy nature; he perfects his style by endeavouring to make the matter of the objects he paints perceptible to our senses: i.e., the coldness of the china or the velvety skin of the fruit. Insects scattered here and there endow the whole with a touch of poetry.
The sobriety of the arrangement together with its brilliant execution, make this still life a precious piece of work. This painting clearly illustrates why the works of this very young man inspired a whole generation of Dutch artists.
Literature : Le Connoisseur, May 1956, illustrated p. 274.
Exhibitions : Flower and Still-Life Paintings by Dutch and Flemish Masters of the 17th and 18th Centuries, Eugène Slatter Gallery, London, 1943, no. 12 (as Isaac Booschaert);
Dutch Pictures, 1450-1750, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1952-53, no. 89.
More informations
Middelburg 1610 - Dordrecht after 1628
Johannes Bosschaert was the son of Ambrosius the Elder, the brother of Ambrosius the Younger and Abraham, all Dutch painters of fruit and flowers. The three...
read moreMiddelburg 1610 - Dordrecht after 1628
Johannes Bosschaert was the son of Ambrosius the Elder, the brother of Ambrosius the Younger and Abraham, all Dutch painters of fruit and flowers. The three brothers were introduced to painting in their father’s studio during his most glorious era in Breda.
Johannes had a prodigious talent; at the age of 16, he was producing still lifes of flowers and fruit of an astonishing quality. After his father’s death in 1621, he was undeniably influenced by his uncle, the painter Balthazar van der Ast. At the time, his uncle lived in Utrecht and probably took on his young nephew as an apprentice.
In particular, Bosschaert copied the same tulip – the favourite flower of Van der Ast – several times. He was also inspired by his uncle’s way of combining a dish of fruit with a vase of flowers in the same painting while scattering the flowers, fruit and other accessories right up to the edge of the table. His still lifes of flowers and fruit are composed and executed with great skill. The delicately painted petals and the transparent skin of the fruit bear witness to his excellent technique. Unlike his father, his lines and his colours are a little harder.
Two magnificent paintings wonderfully illustrating his early talent can be admired in a private collection in Amsterdam, and in the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands. They are both signed and dated 1626. The Louvre has an exquisite basket of flowers painted by him.
We know very little about his life. He probably lived in Dordrecht but the date of his death is unknown. He was in the habit of signing and dating his works, which are extremely rare considering his short life.
