Flower Piece
probably Simon Pietersz Verelst (The Hague 1644 - London 1721)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1700
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
940 x 810 mm
Order this imageCollection
Osterley Park and House, London
NT 771237
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Flower Piece, probably Simon Pietersz Verelst (The Hague 1644 - London 1721). A flower piece including a rose, iris, poppy, carnation and, at centre, a turban buttercup (?) (Ranunculus asiaticus) in a spherical glass vase on a stone table. A butterfly flutters at centre right. Twisting and complex, the composition is pulled into place by the manipulation of light and colour. Verelst's works demonstrate a familiarity with Willem van Aelst but the effect and the composition of this work are particularly inventive. The innovative asymmetrical composition, is made up of both indigenous and exotic species of flowers, and uses strong light-dark contrasts. Flowers are arranged with tall stems at upper right and a hanging bloom at lower left. [From V&A description]
Provenance
On loan from V&A
Makers and roles
probably Simon Pietersz Verelst (The Hague 1644 - London 1721), artist previously catalogued as attributed to Rachel Ruysch (Amsterdam 1664 – Amsterdam 1750), artist