Who painted Vase of Flowers?

Vase of Flowers was painted by Jan Brueghel, the elder in 1609.

Where can I see Vase of Flowers?

Vase of Flowers is held by Museo del Prado.

What movement is Vase of Flowers?

Vase of Flowers is associated with Flemish Baroque painting.

Can I buy a print of Vase of Flowers?

Museum-quality prints of Vase of Flowers are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Vase of Flowers

Jan Brueghel, the elder , 1609

Vase of Flowers is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Jan Brueghel, the elder. It dates from 1609 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The work depicts a meticulously arranged bouquet of flowers in a glass vase, set against a neutral background.

The work depicts a meticulously arranged bouquet of flowers in a glass vase, set against a neutral background. Brueghel’s composition emphasizes botanical variety and delicate textures, using closely observed species typical of early seventeenth-century Northern European still-life painting.

The bouquet functions as a vanitas emblem, evoking the fleeting nature of beauty and life. The inclusion of fragile blooms alongside fresher ones underscores the passage of time and the inevitability of decay, a conventional symbolic reading of floral still lifes from this period.

Technique & Style

Jan Brueghel the Elder executed Vase of Flowers in 1609 using oil paint applied to a panel support. The work measures 47 cm in height and 35 cm in width, presenting a floral genre scene that depicts a vase containing a bouquet. As an oil-on-panel painting, the piece exemplifies the detailed handling characteristic of the artist's floral compositions.

History & Provenance

The oil-on-panel painting Vase of Flowers was created by Jan Brueghel the Elder in 1609. This floral work, measuring 47 cm in height and 35 cm in width, depicts a vase containing a bouquet. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where it is cataloged under the inventory number P001424. The work is classified as a floral painting genre piece.

The work is held by the Museo del Prado, Madrid, inventoried as P001424. It entered the Prado’s collection as part of its holdings of early Flemish paintings.

It was included in the exhibition “Jan Brueghel” held at the Museo del Prado in 2018.

Overview

Jan Brueghel the Elder, a prominent Flemish painter of the early 1600s, completed the oil painting Vase of Flowers in 1609. Executed in the Flemish Baroque idiom, the work exemplifies his frequent engagement with still‑life subjects, particularly floral arrangements, and now belongs to the collection of the Museo del Prado.

Context

The work belongs to a broader tradition of collaborative production in Antwerp, where Brueghel often partnered with figures such as Peter Paul Rubens. While Rubens supplied figures and allegorical elements in joint projects, Brueghel specialized in the intricate naturalism of flora, a niche that secured his reputation among contemporaries.