Lotto 3055 - A210 Dipinti antichi - venerdì, 20. settembre 2024, 14h00
NICOLAES VAN VERENDAEL
(1640 Antwerp 1691)
Bouquet of flowers in a glass vase with butterfly, caterpillar and snail.
Oil on copper.
41.5 × 31.5 cm.
Provenance:
- With Leggatt Brothers, London.
- European private collection.
This outstanding painting by Nicolaes van Verendael is of an exceptional and brilliant quality. It shows a sumptuous bouquet of colourful flowers in a stone alcove. The detailed depiction of the different flower species allows them to be identified. A carnation, some pink roses, a peony and several blue bindweed plants, probably painted using precious lapis lazuli, are clearly recognisable. All were highly prized flower species that were collected and traded in Flanders and the Netherlands at the time.
The small format of the artwork allows the art enthusiast to hold it in their hands and look closely at the finely painted detail, such as the structure of the petals or the butterfly wings. Many of the plants are depicted in various stages of flowering, from the buds bursting open, to flowers in full bloom, to wilted petals, creating a link between the different stages of life and death, a common theme in 17th century Dutch still life painting.
The transparent vase, which allows a view of the flower stems, demonstrates Van Verendael's virtuoso hand, with this masterly rendering of the materiality of the glass. He has even incorporated the reflection of a window, which is located in the same room as the niche, as if the artist had a real bouquet of flowers before him that he is contemplating in his studio. However, this painting depicts flowers that do not bloom at the same time of year, thus confirming this to be an artistic composition with a lifelike depiction of elements from nature, which the Flemish painter has ennobled through his art.
Nicolaes van Verendael was born in 1640 and is listed in the Guild of St Luke in Antwerp in the years 1656–57. He established his career in his native city of Antwerp, which was an important artistic centre for still life painters. The regular mention of paintings by Van Verendael in the Antwerp inventories testifies to his popularity during his lifetime. Dr Fred G. Meijer, who has confirmed the authenticity of this painting and whom we thank for his expertise, dates it to the first half of the 1670s.
The small format of the artwork allows the art enthusiast to hold it in their hands and look closely at the finely painted detail, such as the structure of the petals or the butterfly wings. Many of the plants are depicted in various stages of flowering, from the buds bursting open, to flowers in full bloom, to wilted petals, creating a link between the different stages of life and death, a common theme in 17th century Dutch still life painting.
The transparent vase, which allows a view of the flower stems, demonstrates Van Verendael's virtuoso hand, with this masterly rendering of the materiality of the glass. He has even incorporated the reflection of a window, which is located in the same room as the niche, as if the artist had a real bouquet of flowers before him that he is contemplating in his studio. However, this painting depicts flowers that do not bloom at the same time of year, thus confirming this to be an artistic composition with a lifelike depiction of elements from nature, which the Flemish painter has ennobled through his art.
Nicolaes van Verendael was born in 1640 and is listed in the Guild of St Luke in Antwerp in the years 1656–57. He established his career in his native city of Antwerp, which was an important artistic centre for still life painters. The regular mention of paintings by Van Verendael in the Antwerp inventories testifies to his popularity during his lifetime. Dr Fred G. Meijer, who has confirmed the authenticity of this painting and whom we thank for his expertise, dates it to the first half of the 1670s.
CHF 70 000 / 100 000 | (€ 72 160 / 103 090)
Venduto per CHF 260 000 (escl. premio dell'acquirente)
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