Artwork
Cherub with Flowers and Parrot
Cherub with Flowers and Parrot is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Herman van der Mijn. It dates from 1713 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Classified as a floral painting, the work combines these specific natural and mythological elements into a single scene.
The painting depicts a cherub holding a flowering plant alongside a parrot, a dog, and a viola. A nautilus shell is also included within the composition. Classified as a floral painting, the work combines these specific natural and mythological elements into a single scene.
The arrangement suggests a symbolic interplay between the innocence of the cherub and the vibrant life of the flora and fauna, though the specific allegorical intent is not detailed in the available records.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil paint on canvas, the work measures 93.3 cm in height by 71 cm in width. The medium and support align with standard Dutch-Flemish easel painting practice of the early eighteenth century, allowing for the layered glazes and detailed finish associated with floral still life. Classified as a painting and catalogued within the genre of floral painting, the composition integrates botanical subjects with figurative and animal motifs, including a parrot, cherub, flowering plant, nautilus shell, dog, and viola.
This combination of disparate elements within an oil-on-canvas format reflects the decorative, allegorical character typical of Herman van der Mijn's floral compositions.
History & Provenance
Herman van der Mijn executed the oil painting Cherub with Flowers and Parrot in 1713. The work was created on canvas and depicts a cherub alongside a parrot, flowering plants, a nautilus shell, a dog, and a viola.
Historically, the painting belonged to the collection of Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz within the Electoral Gallery in Düsseldorf. It subsequently entered the holdings of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, where it is currently housed at the Alte Pinakothek.
Context
Herman van der Mijn, a Dutch‑Flemish painter active in the early 18th century, created Cherub with Flowers and Parrot in 1713. Executed in oil on canvas, the work measures 93.3 cm by 71 cm and depicts a cherub surrounded by blossoms, a parrot, a nautilus shell, a dog and violets.
The painting belongs to the floral genre that flourished in the decorative schemes of German courts, and its inclusion in the Bavarian State Painting Collections reflects the Elector Palatine’s interest in such ornamental subjects. Scholars view it as a representative example of the period’s blend of naturalistic detail and allegorical symbolism.
Overview
Herman van der Mijn, an 18th-century artist from the Dutch Republic, completed Cherub with Flowers and Parrot in 1713. This oil painting exemplifies the Rococo aesthetic, featuring a cherubic figure amidst a vibrant arrangement of flowers, a parrot, a dog, and a nautilus shell. The composition emphasizes a sense of gentle charm and natural beauty, characteristic of the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Herman van der Mijn, or Heroman van der Myn (1684 – 1741), was an 18th-century painter from the Dutch Republic.
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