Artwork
Flower Piece
Flower Piece is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Barend van der Meer. It dates from 1694 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Technique & Style
As a still life depicting flowers, it belongs to the Dutch Golden Age tradition of floral painting, a genre in which van der Meer specialized.
Barend van der Meer painted Flower Piece in 1688 using oil paint on canvas. The work measures 109.0 × 92.5 cm. As a still life depicting flowers, it belongs to the Dutch Golden Age tradition of floral painting, a genre in which van der Meer specialized. The oil-on-canvas medium allowed for the detailed rendering and rich coloration characteristic of 17th-century Dutch flower pieces, enabling subtle gradations of tone and precise botanical description.
History & Provenance
Flower Piece by Barend van der Meer was created in 1688, executed in oil paint on canvas as a still life depicting flowers. The work subsequently entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Denmark, where it remains held. The painting measures 1090 mm in height by 925 mm in width. No further details regarding commission, prior ownership, or intermediate provenance are documented in the available sources.
The sources establish only the terminal holding institution and the date of inception, leaving the earlier ownership chain and circumstances of creation unrecorded.
Barend van der Meer's 1688 oil painting, Flower Piece, is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. The work is executed on canvas and depicts a floral arrangement. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the museum lists the piece with dimensions of 109 cm in height and 92.5 cm in width. No specific exhibition history for this work is detailed in the current sources.
Overview
Barend van der Meer’s Flower Piece (1694) is an oil on canvas still‑life that assembles a variety of domestic objects around a central floral bouquet. The composition rests on a darkened tabletop, where a large painted vase, a reflective metal pitcher, a woven basket, a lemon‑topped plate, grapes, and scattered bowls create a balanced yet informal arrangement.
Subject & Meaning
The work presents a typical Dutch vanitas motif, juxtaposing the transience of fresh flowers and fruit with the permanence of crafted vessels. The inclusion of a lemon, grapes, and a painted scene on the vase hints at themes of abundance and the fleeting nature of sensory pleasures, inviting contemplation of the passage of time.
Artist & collection
Artist
Barend van der Meer (1659–1700) was a Dutch Golden Age still life painter. Van der Meer was born and died in Haarlem. According to the RKD he was taught by his father Jan van der Meer I and became a member of the…
