Vibrant Dutch Still Life Painting on Board

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Stunning and colorful, this Dutch botanical painting on board will bring beauty to any room. Lovely shades of pink, white, … Read more Stunning and colorful, this Dutch botanical painting on board will bring beauty to any room. Lovely shades of pink, white, red, orange and blue flowers bring vibrancy to this still life, which also features a golden vase and a nest of eggs.

Floral Still-Lives History
The Dutch East India Company was founded in 1602 and Amsterdam had a 21 year monopoly on trade with Asia. New flowers were brought to Holland and these were a symbol of Dutch pride as they were obtained through the power of trade. Every flower had its own symbolic meaning, flowers in painting were chosen for their symbols and not their appearance. Look carefully, no two flowers are the same as they would be in a bouquet, in fact such arrangements would be impossible as the flowers were in bloom at different times of the year.

Floral still-lives were still popular a century after the Dutch East India Company was founded as can be seen in this work by Rachel Ruysch. Ruysch worked in a dramatic and dynamic way and painted with startling realism. Bees and butterflies had a significance which tied into a theme symbolizing Christianity. The bee represented the Passion, its stinger referencing Christ’s crown of thorns. The butterfly represented the resurrection and also the soul. Flowers themselves embodied the fleeting nature of life, from buds and blooms to those that drooped and withered. See less