Artwork
Still Life with Tulips
Still Life with Tulips is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Peter Binoit. It dates from 1623 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right in monogram: PB .1623.
About this work
Technique & Style
The copper plate, smooth and reflective, enhances the vibrancy of the pigments and the illusionistic rendering of light on petals and glassware.
The work is executed in oil paint on a copper support, a combination that supports unusually crisp execution and luminous color typical of early still-life practice on metal. The handling is precise, with minute attention to the translucent petals of the tulips and the varied textures of leaves and stems, suggesting the artist worked with a fine brush and controlled glazes. The copper plate, smooth and reflective, enhances the vibrancy of the pigments and the illusionistic rendering of light on petals and glassware.
Formal qualities emphasize clarity and order: the composition arranges tulips in a low, horizontal format, their vertical stems echoing the vertical accents of the glass vase and the table edge. The palette is restrained yet luminous, with reds, whites, and yellows set against a neutral background that isolates the flowers and vessel, underscoring the still-life tradition of rendering precious, perishable beauty.
History & Provenance
Peter Binoit created this oil-on-copper painting in 1623. The work's early ownership is not documented in the available records, but by 1971 it was in the possession of Claus Kramer in Küsnacht, Switzerland, who lent it to an exhibition in Zurich that year. Kramer subsequently sold the painting at Christie, Manson & Woods in London on 13 December 2000.
It was acquired through the London dealer Richard Green by Robert H. and Clarice Smith of Arlington, Virginia. Upon Robert Smith's death in 2009, the work passed to Clarice Smith, who donated it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 2012, where it remains.
Legacy
Now part of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Still Life with Tulips (1623) is studied as part of the corpus of early Dutch and German still-life painting on copper, a format prized for its luminosity. The painting measures 24.13 cm by 19.05 cm. Its earlier public exposure included a 1971 showing in Zurich, and its well-documented twentieth-century provenance through the Smith collection reflects the recognized art-historical value placed on early still-life panels of this quality.
Overview
Peter Binoit's painting, Still Life with Tulips, created in 1623, presents a vibrant floral arrangement rendered in oil on copper. This work showcases a glass vase overflowing with various blooms, set against a dark, contrasting background. The artist's meticulous attention to detail is evident in the depiction of each petal and leaf, inviting close observation of the natural forms.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a clear glass vase, from which a profusion of colorful flowers cascades. Dominant orange and yellow tulips are complemented by smaller blossoms in shades of white, pink, and blue, with foliage artfully intertwined around the vessel. A small red-and-black beetle rests on the surface below, a common motif in still life painting that often alludes to the transient nature of life and beauty.
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