Still Life of Fruit and Flowers

Balthasar van der Ast (signed by artist), 1620

This still life invites close examination of all the details and elicits marvel at the richness of God’s creation: the colourful flowers, the exotic shells, but certainly also the beautiful insects. At the same time, decay is spreading. Fruit shows the first rotten spots, leaves are eaten away by caterpillars and snails and ants drag a dead fly. The painting is thus also about impermanence.

  • Artwork typepainting
  • Object numberSK-A-2152
  • Dimensionssupport: height 39.2 cm x width 69.8 cm
  • Physical characteristicsoil on panel

Identification

  • Title(s)

    • Still Life with Fruits and Flowers
    • Still Life of Fruit and Flowers

  • Object type

  • Object number

    SK-A-2152

  • Description

    Stilleven met vruchten en bloemen. Op een wit tafelkleed enige vruchten op een porseleinen schotel en een bloemboeket in een porseleinen vaas. Verder schelpen, enige insecten, torren, mieren, vlinders, sprinkhanen, een rups en spinnen.

  • Inscriptions / marks

    • signature and date, lower left: ‘.B. vander. Ast. / 1620’
    • signature and date, lower right: ‘B. vander.Ast. fe. / 1621’

  • Part of catalogue

Creation

  • Creation

    painter: Balthasar van der Ast (signed by artist)

  • Dating

    • 1620
    • 1621

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    oil on panel

  • Dimensions

    support: height 39.2 cm x width 69.8 cm

This work is about

  • Subject

Exhibitions

Acquisition and rights

  • Credit line

    Purchased with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt

  • Acquisition

    purchase 1904-09-21

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

    ...; sale, A.H.H. van der Burgh (The Hague), Amsterdam (F. Muller), 21 September 1904, no. 51, fl. 1,046, to the museum, through the mediation of the Vereniging Rembrandt

Documentation

  • 'Galerij stillevens', Oog 3 (2009) nr. 2, p. 26-37, afb. p. 28-29.

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