BOSSCHAERT, Ambrosius the Younger
(b. 1609, Arnemuiden, d. 1645, Utrecht)

Biography

Dutch painter, son of Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder. He lived in Utrecht, where he married in 1634. His work has been recognized only since 1935 when Piet de Boer succeeded in differentiating it from pictures by his father and his brother Abraham. Ambrosius the Younger's early pictures are signed AB in Gothic lettering, but after 1633 he used a more calligraphic, rounded abbreviation, almost Baroque in effect, or even his name in full.

The first period of his creative output falls between 1626 and 1635. His flower-pieces from that time are viewed from above and have a low vanishing point; there are often exotic accessories and shells, while on one occasion later a live snake is introduced. In later work the high viewpoint and stiff composition of the pictures, especially of the still-lifes combining fruit and flowers, become noticeably less symmetrical and more spacious. These works also reveal the strong influence of his brother Abraham, evident both in the choice of format and in the preference for blue and yellow, as well as in a darker background and more compactly organized still-life arrangements. It is possible that many of the pictures ascribed to Ambrosius the Younger for this period were begun by Abraham and finished after his death by Ambrosius the Younger.