Vase Of Flowers And Shells On An Entablature. Abraham Bosschaert (1612/13-1643) Att.

Period early 17th century Oil on oak panel (single board) Beautiful old frame in black “ebony” wood with reversed profile and guilloche pattern Total dimensions: 74 x 58 cm. The panel alone: 49 x 35 cm Still life with tulips, peonies, carnations, jasmines and roses on an entablature among shells. From the 16th century, the fashion for flower paintings conquered all of Western Europe. It imposes itself especially in the Southern Netherlands and the United Provinces of Holland, where such paintings multiply, as well as the artists who made them. While in Holland, the masters of this art, natives or emigrants, settled in Middelburg, Delft, Utrecht, The Hague, Haarlem, Amsterdam, in the southern Netherlands, it was in Antwerp known to many Flemish flower painters, or sometimes foreigners. The wealthy bourgeoisie of these merchant towns constituted a clientele capable of encouraging talent, to the growth of which princely orders also contributed. This efflorescence does not arise suddenly. We can look for its origin in the love of flowers which manifests itself vividly from the second half of the 16th century. Botanical gardens were created, like that of Leyden directed by the famous Frenchman Charles de Lescluse (Carolus Clusius). The taste for pleasure gardens intensified. Since the discovery of the New World, many plants were imported from the Orient or the Indies and, to obtain rare flowers, amateurs will travel to Frankfurt-on-Main, a famous horticultural centre, where shortly after 1600 opens an annual market... Abraham Bosschaert, Coming from a large family of painters from Antwerp, like his father and his brothers, he specializes in the painting of still life and more precisely of flowers presented in bouquets in vases . He likes to stand out by adding shells and insects to his compositions. He was born around 1612 in Middelburg in the Netherlands and died after 1635 in Utrecht), he is the son of Ambrosius Bosschaert (1573-1621) It is a pity that this excellent painter is not more documented, because his work is remarkable His bouquets were painted symmetrically and with scientific precision in small dimensions and usually on wood panel or copper. They sometimes included symbolic and religious meanings. Thanks to the booming Dutch art market of the 17th century, it was a great success. Personal note: There are currently a number of still lifes on the market, but ours, due to its exceptional quality and the presence of shells, is particularly rare and interesting! Provenance: Collection of Baroness Cassel van Doorn. Lot N°: 27 Maître Ader, Sale in Paris on 05/30/1956 (Galerie Charpentier) given to the painter. Anonymous sale, Pierre Bergé & Associés, Salle des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, May 20, 2008, lot 6 Reproduced on page 16 of the catalog Private collection, France.