Artwork
Still Life with Fruits and Flowers
Still Life with Fruits and Flowers is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Balthasar van der Ast. It dates from 1620 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1620, Balthasar van der Ast's Still Life with Fruits and Flowers presents a dense arrangement of natural elements typical of the Dutch Golden Age.
Created in 1620, Balthasar van der Ast's Still Life with Fruits and Flowers presents a dense arrangement of natural elements typical of the Dutch Golden Age. The composition explicitly depicts a variety of flowers, including tulips, alongside clusters of grapes and other fruits. Interspersed among the botanical subjects are small insects, specifically a fly and a grasshopper.
These inclusions serve as traditional vanitas elements, reminding the viewer of the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of decay. The juxtaposition of vibrant, blooming flora with crawling insects underscores the transient beauty of the natural world, a common symbolic theme in 17th-century still-life painting.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1620, this still life by Balthasar van der Ast is an oil painting on a wooden panel. The work measures 39.2 cm in height and 69.8 cm in width. Stylistically, the composition features a dense arrangement of natural elements, specifically depicting flowers, various fruits, and grapes.
The artist's handling includes the precise rendering of small insects, such as a fly and a grasshopper, integrated among the botanical subjects. These formal qualities exemplify the detailed observational approach characteristic of the genre during this period.
History & Provenance
Balthasar van der Ast painted Still Life with Fruits and Flowers in 1620, employing oil on wood panel. The work belongs to the still‑life genre and features detailed depictions of fruit, flowers, a fly, a tulip, grasshopper and grape. It was created as an independent piece rather than a commissioned work, and has remained in the artist’s native Dutch tradition of banquet and floral compositions.
Since at least the early 20th century the painting has been part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection, where it is displayed in Amsterdam.
Overview
Balthasar van der Ast, a Dutch Golden Age painter active from his birth in Middelburg around 1593 until his death in Delft in 1657, created this oil painting, Still Life with Fruits and Flowers, in 1620. The work exemplifies his primary focus on still life compositions, a genre in which he frequently depicted meticulously arranged natural elements such as flowers, fruits, and shells. This particular piece showcases his characteristic attention to detail and a vibrant array of botanical and entomological subjects.
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…
