Bouquet of Flowers

This painting depicts a bouquet of flowers in a stone arch opening onto a landscape. It is one of the five paintings by Bosschaert depicting bouquets in open niches, mostly with a view of a landscape.

Analysis of the flower pieces made by Bosschaert and other flower painters of his time reveals that their bouquets were seldom painted from life. They were assembled from a number of independent studies which serve as patterns. The pictures frequently show blossoms which bloom at different seasons of the year, and it is not unusual to find the same flower, shell, or insect in more than one picture. This manner of composing flower pieces was continued by later artists.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 2 minutes): Franz Schubert: Blumenlied (Flower Song) D 431