Jan van Huysum

The English term still life was adopted from the Dutch Stilleven, a painting genre depicting inanimate objects. Still-life painting peaked in the Low Countries—now the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg—in the 1600s.

This painting is attributed to Jan van Huysum, an Amsterdam artist who primarily produced floral still lifes. Like other Dutch still-life painters, Huysum catered to a European audience who expected abundant, exquisitely detailed depictions of rare flower specimens. The striped tulip at the upper right serves as an example. In the 1630s, tulips became a Dutch national obsession. Because still lifes often featured flowers that did not bloom at the same time of year, a single painting could take several years to produce.

Among the most admired forms of still-life presentation is the luxuriant composition of flowers in a vase, placed on a stone table or ledge. This Dutch tradition includes close attention to the details of individual blooms and often celebrates rare specimens, such as the striped tulip at the top of this image. Holland experienced a phenomenon called "Tulip Mania" in the 17th century. Species of the exotic flower had been introduced into Europe from Turkey shortly after 1550 and eventually resulting in the elevation of the tulip to a pinnacle of consumer admiration and desire.

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This painting has sometimes been attributed to Jan van Huysum, among the finest late practitioners of this style; however, there were numerous Dutch and French flower painters who followed his model closely, continuing its popularity through the early 19th century.