Artwork
Still Life with Flowers
Still Life with Flowers is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jan van Huysum. It dates from 1723 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting features a vibrant bouquet of assorted flowers arranged in a glass vase, a composition that exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age fascination with botanical abundance and transitory beauty. Symbolically, the varied blossoms convey both the richness of nature and the impermanence of life, reflecting themes of mortality and the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures. The work’s meticulous rendering of petals and leaves underscores the artist’s technical mastery and the genre’s emphasis on detailed observation of the natural world.
Technique & Style
Stylistically, the composition focuses on a dense bouquet of flowers, a subject characteristic of the artist's genre specialization.
Executed in 1723, this floral still life by Jan van Huysum is an oil painting created on a wooden panel support. The work measures 81 cm in height and 61 cm in width. Stylistically, the composition focuses on a dense bouquet of flowers, a subject characteristic of the artist's genre specialization.
The application of oil paint on panel allowed for the detailed rendering typical of Dutch floral paintings of this period.
History & Provenance
Still Life with Flowers was painted by Jan van Huysum in 1723, with an inception date of 1 January 1723. The work entered the possession of Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers, after whom the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers was named, and subsequently became part of the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers collection. It later entered the holdings of Rijksmuseum Twenthe and is now housed in the Rijksmuseum. No information about a specific commission is provided in the sources.
The painting Still Life with Flowers by Jan van Huysum is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It is part of the Kabinet van Heteren Gevers, a specific bequest within the museum's holdings, and was historically owned by Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers. The work is also associated with the Rijksmuseum Twenthe, indicating a connection to that institution's collection or exhibition network. No specific accession number or detailed exhibition chronology is provided in the available records.
Context
Jan van Huysum's Still Life with Flowers (1723) exemplifies Dutch Golden Age floral painting through its meticulous oil technique on panel, combining bouquet and flower motifs within an 81 cm by 61 cm composition. The work reflects van Huysum's specialization in genre scenes centered on still lifes with floral subjects, as documented in art historical records. Its provenance traces to Adriaan Leonard van Heteren Gevers, with current ownership at the Rijksmuseum, situating it within the artist's broader context of botanical precision and genre innovation.
Overview
Jan van Huysum’s 1723 oil painting Still Life with Flowers presents an abundant arrangement of blossoms spilling from a large vase. White roses, blue irises, red tulips and other blooms cascade outward, accompanied by fluttering butterflies and a modest female statue in the background. The composition is rendered with vivid coloration and a lively sense of natural overflow, exemplifying the artist’s celebrated skill in rendering flora.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan van Huysum (or Jan van Huijsum) (15 April 1682 – 8 February 1749) is the most notable member of the Van Huysum family of artists working in Dutch Golden Age of the 17th and 18th centuries; "by common consent, Jan…
