AST, Balthasar van der
(b. 1594, Middelburg, d. 1657, Delft)

Still-Life of Flowers, Shells, and Insects

c. 1635
Oil on panel, 24 x 35 cm
Private collection

In this horizontal still-life Van der Ast presents a variety of seashells, flowers, and insects on a stone surface. At the centre is a horn-shaped shell holding an arrangement of flowers. The painter avoided any overlap or clustering of the shells so that each one can be scrutinized individually.