Artwork
Fruit Still Life with Two Parrots
Fruit Still Life with Two Parrots is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Balthasar van der Ast. It dates from 1623 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Technique & Style
This painting was executed in oil on wooden panel, employing the conventional techniques of Dutch still‑life practice in the early 17th century.
This painting was executed in oil on wooden panel, employing the conventional techniques of Dutch still‑life practice in the early 17th century. The artist rendered the fruit and two parrots with meticulous brushwork, achieving a crisp surface finish and subtle gradations of light that emphasize the three‑dimensionality of the objects. The composition balances vibrant coloration with careful spatial arrangement, reflecting the formal conventions of the genre while allowing for a lively interplay of texture and detail.
History & Provenance
Fruit Still Life with Two Parrots was created by Balthasar van der Ast in 1623, executed in oil paint. The painting is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Denmark, where it remains located. No further details regarding commission, intermediate ownership, or acquisition history are documented in the available sources.
The painting is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is accessioned under the inventory number that corresponds to its presence in the museum's holdings. It has been featured in exhibitions focusing on Dutch Golden Age still lifes and Baroque decorative arts, reinforcing its status within the museum's curated narratives of 17th‑century painting.
Overview
Created in 1623, this oil painting presents a richly detailed still life centered on a large blue‑and‑white bowl brimming with fruit and blossoms. Two parrots, one rendered in blue and yellow and the other in red and white, are perched beside the vessel, adding movement to the otherwise static composition. The work is part of the collection of Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst.
Subject & Meaning
The arrangement juxtaposes the natural abundance of ripe fruit and flowers with the exotic presence of the parrots, suggesting themes of vitality and the interplay between domestic bounty and far‑reaching trade. The dark, muted wall behind the scene heightens the luminous colors, emphasizing the sense of warmth and exuberance that the objects convey.
Artist & collection
Artist
Balthasar van der Ast (Middelburg, 1593/94 – Delft, 7 March 1657) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in still lifes of flowers and fruit, as well as painting a number of remarkable shell still lifes; he is…
