Velvet Dark and Blossom Bright: the Art of Flower Brueghel
Flowers from different places and seasons bloom together in meticulous botanical studies by Jan Brueghel the Elder
This exquisite bouquet of flowers, placed in a plain earthenware jar against a dark background, was painted in 1609. Each bloom seems as fresh, delicate, and vibrant as the day it was painted over four hundred years ago. The elevated angle of view ensures that no bloom overlaps any other so each is given full attention by the artist. Some flies, damselflies, spiders, butterflies — even a snail — are nestled among the flowers, and on the table, alongside some dropped petals, is a beetle. These are also painted in loving detail and with an accuracy that rivals much later scientific and botanical illustrations.
The oil-on-wood brushwork is varied, from the almost translucent flourish of larger blooms to the precise rendering of smaller, more delicate flowers, which recreates texture and sheen. One of the earliest paintings of its kind in the genre of flower still life, it highlights nature’s beauty rather than using flowers within a larger painting as decoration or symbol. It is the work of the artist known as ‘Flower Brueghel.’
