Still Life with Flowers, Jan van Huysum, 1723
oil on panel, h 81cm × w 61cm More details
In the 18th century, Van Huysum brought the extremely popular genre of flower painting to great heights. Instead of the usual dark background, he used a light one with a park landscape, creating the impression that the flowers are set out-of-doors on a balustrade. The décor here consists of a statue of Flora, the goddess of flowers, some cursorily painted foliage and a pond.