HUYSUM, Jan van
(b. 1682, Amsterdam, d. 1749, Amsterdam)

Vase of Flowers

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Oil on glass, 63 x 50 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

Son of Justus, a decorator of apartments and gardens, Jan van Huysum was one of the most famous Dutch painters of floral still-lifes, establishing himself in a pictorial genre that was already popular and widespread, and taking it to a perfection and virtuosity which was at times even mechanical. However, whereas in French artists, whom the painter was inspired by, ability and technical complexity were also reflected in the sometimes excessive elaboration of the portrayal, van Huysum stayed within the sober Quattrocento Flemish-Dutch tradition, even though he used specialistic motifs of the seventeenth century (the dark background and the presence of rare species of flowers).




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