ABOUT THE WORK

Many of the past centuries’ masters left an unexpected mark on the tradition of flower painting. Earlier, during the 1600-1700s, the Dutch, Flemish, Italian, German and French artists further innovated the floral still life. During the 1800s, the French impressionists favored painting vibrant landscapes, but they also enjoyed exploring the artistic potential of flower painting. The juxtaposition of the fully blown flowers with a dark vase which almost blends into the background emphasizes the illusionistic tendency of 17th century Dutch flower art. The painting is a delightful harmony of the dark background colors with the more intense colours of the flowers. Abraham Bosschaert the Younger (II.) (1612–1643) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Like his father Ambrosius Bosschaert and his older brothers, he signed his works with a monogram; AB, but this was only discovered in 1992. His older brothers Ambrosius Bosschaert II and Johannes Bosschaert were his first teachers after the death of his father in 1623, but he also took lessons from his uncle Balthasar van der Ast in Utrecht from 1628-1637. In 1637 he moved to Amsterdam, but by 1643 he had returned to Utrecht, where he was buried on April 4, 1643.