Artwork

Tulips in a vase with a caterpillar and a grasshopper on a stone ledge

Tulips in a vase with a caterpillar and a grasshopper on a stone ledge is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob Marrel. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Technique & Style

The composition is tightly controlled, aligning the vertical axis of the vase with the stone ledge to create a stable, symmetrical pyramid of forms.

Executed in oil on a single oak panel in 1635, the work displays the refined handling characteristic of Jacob Marrel’s early still lifes. Thin, translucent glazes modulate petal tones and the reflective glass of the vase, while opaque impasto accents highlight the caterpillar’s texture and the grasshopper’s segmented limbs. The composition is tightly controlled, aligning the vertical axis of the vase with the stone ledge to create a stable, symmetrical pyramid of forms.

Formal qualities emphasize clarity and precision: petals are rendered with delicate, linear definition, and the stone ledge is modeled with subtle chiaroscuro to distinguish its planar facets. Subtle shifts in reflected light on the glass suggest volume without sacrificing crisp edges, while the muted palette, soft pinks, greens, and ochres, conveys both freshness and quiet monumentality.

History & Provenance

Created in 1635, this oil-on-panel still life was executed by Jacob Marrel. The work has been held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, though it was previously part of the holdings of the Centraal Museum and the Kunsthandel P. de Boer. It was also associated with Richard Green Fine Paintings at an earlier point in its ownership history. The painting measures 47.6 cm in height and 36.1 cm in width.

The painting is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, as confirmed by its inclusion in the Rijksmuseum's holdings and described in the artwork's provenance. Its accession number is not specified in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented in the provided information. The work was created in 1635 and measures 47.6 cm in height by 36.1 cm in width.

Legacy

Jacob Marrel's 1635 oil painting Tulips in a vase with a caterpillar and a grasshopper on a stone ledge entered museum collections and scholarly discourse, cited in catalogues of Dutch Golden Age still lifes for its precise botanical detail and subtle inclusion of insects. Its presence in holdings at the Rijksmuseum and Centraal Museum underscores its recognized status within the still life genre, while its material record on panel confirms its 17th-century technique and dimensions of 47.6 cm by 36.1 cm.

Overview

Tulips in a vase with a caterpillar and a grasshopper on a stone ledge is an oil painting created by Jacob Marrel in 1635. It is a still life work held in the Rijksmuseum's collection.

Subject & Meaning

The painting depicts a round vase overflowing with tulips in shades of red, white, and yellow, accompanied by a caterpillar and a grasshopper on a dark stone ledge. The arrangement is loose, with flowers leaning over the vase's edges.