Description

Jan Davidsz. de Heem was a 17th century Dutch still life painter and was a prominent figure during the Dutch Golden Age, a point in time where the Netherlands achieved great feats in the arts, science, and military. Painted circa 1660, Vase of Flowers excellently displays the complexity of de Heems brushwork, featuring 31 varying flowers, vegetables, fruits, and insects in vibrant detail. What makes Vase of Flowers so unique is that this bouquet could never have existed. The blooming cycles would have prevented this bouquet from ever existing, thus highlighting de Heems impeccable ability to create life-like paintings from memory. Some of the flowers include the newly imported tulip from Turkey in red and white on the right, an anemone with a bright blue center above them, a white hydrangea on the left, and a large, feather white peony sitting atop the bouquet.