Artwork
Still Life with Flowers Surrounded by Insects and a Snail
Still Life with Flowers Surrounded by Insects and a Snail is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Clara Peeters. It dates from 1610 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower center, on front of the table: CLARA P
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a work within the floral painting genre, the composition presents a dense assembly of natural elements typical of the artist's era.
Clara Peeters' 1616 oil-on-copper painting, Still Life with Flowers Surrounded by Insects and a Snail, depicts a bouquet arranged alongside a rummer, various insects, and a snail. As a work within the floral painting genre, the composition presents a dense assembly of natural elements typical of the artist's era. The subject matter focuses on the juxtaposition of a vibrant floral arrangement with small creatures, including insects and a gastropod, set against a neutral background.
While the specific symbolic interpretations of these individual components are not detailed in the provided records, the inclusion of a rummer alongside the bouquet and fauna establishes the work as a complex still life. The painting remains a significant example of early 17th-century Dutch still life art, currently held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
Clara Peeters created the oil-on-copper painting Still Life with Flowers Surrounded by Insects and a Snail around 1616, with some records extending the inception date to 1618. The work's documented ownership chain begins with a 2011 auction at Oger & Camper in Paris, where it was listed as attributed to Peeters. Following this sale, the piece passed through the David Koetser Gallery in Zurich before being acquired in 2013 by Baron Willem van Dedem of London.
Upon the Baron's death in 2015, the painting remained in his estate until it was offered at Sotheby's in London on July 4, 2018. It was subsequently purchased by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it is currently held.
The work is part of the National Gallery of Art’s collection in Washington, D.C. It entered the museum in 2018 after being acquired from the estate sale of Baron Willem van Dedem, as recorded in the 2011–2018 provenance chain documented by the dealer Oger & Camper and the David Koetser Gallery. The painting is catalogued in the Gallery’s holdings, though no specific accession number is provided in the sources. Exhibition records are not mentioned in the available documentation, indicating that the piece has not been featured in separate exhibitions beyond its display as part of the permanent collection.
Overview
This painting, titled Still Life with Flowers Surrounded by Insects and a Snail, is an oil on copper work. It depicts a modest floral arrangement within a vase, situated amidst various insects and a snail. The composition presents a close observation of natural elements, characteristic of the still life genre, inviting viewers to examine the intricate details of both flora and fauna within the confined space of the tableau.
Technique & Style
The artist employed oil on copper to achieve a high degree of precision and luminosity in Still Life with Flowers Surrounded by Insects and a Snail. The surface allows for the rendering of fine details, evident in the varied textures of the individual flower petals and the reflective quality of the vase. This meticulous execution, particularly the careful layering to build up forms and light, recalls the effects often achieved through glazing techniques, contributing to the painting's overall visual depth.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Clara Peeters (Dutch pronunciation: ; fl. 1607–1676) was a Flemish still-life painter from Antwerp who worked in both the Spanish Netherlands and Dutch Republic. Peeters is the best-known female Flemish artist of this…
