Dutch flower still life. Early still life paintings particularly before 1700 often contained religious and allegorical symbolism relating to the objects depicted. It seems that floral designers everywhere have been inspired by the paintings of the old dutch and italian masters. The netherlands had only recently become a political entity and was still suffering from the effects of a long and arduous war against spain.
Dutch golden age painting is the painting of the dutch golden age a period in dutch history roughly spanning the 17th century during and after the later part of the eighty years war 15681648 for dutch independence. A rising interest in botany and a passion for flowers led to an increase in painted floral still lifes at the end of the 1500s in both the netherlands and germany. The northern netherlandish provinces that made up the new state.
The new dutch republic was the most prosperous nation in europe and led european trade science and art. Bosschaert was the first great dutch specialist in fruit and flower painting and the head of a family of artists. Still life as a particular genre began with netherlandish painting of the 16th and 17th centuries and the english term still life derives from the dutch word stilleven.
Before the mid 1600s though the dutch themselves usually referred to pictures by their individual subjects such as breakfast piece or winter snow scene the apparent realism of much dutch art can be deceptive. Many floral still lifes for instance show combinations of flowers that do not bloom at the same time of year. While still life paintings celebrated the beauty and luxury of fine food or voluptuous flowers vanitas was a warning about the fleeting nature of these material things and the shortness of life.
The emergence of the dutch school of painting in the early seventeenth century is one of the most extraordinary phenomena in the history of the visual arts. A rising interest in botany and a passion for flowers led to an increase in painted floral still lifes at the end of the 1500s in both the netherlands and germany. Bosschaert was the first great dutch specialist in fruit and flower painting and the head of a family of artists.
Explore the greatest artists with our guide to the 10 most important old masters in dutch painting.