About this artwork
Verelst painted Flowers in a Vase around 1669, during the high point of Dutch still life painting. He was 25 years old and working in Amsterdam, where he had moved from his native Dordrecht to establish himself as a flower painter. Verelst was the son of the painter Pieter Verelst and the brother of the painters Herman and Johannes Verelst, part of a dynasty of Dutch painters that spanned three generations.
The painting shows a glass vase filled with flowers: roses, peonies, tulips, and smaller blooms. The flowers are arranged in a loose, naturalistic bouquet, with the stems visible through the glass and the petals catching the light from the left. A few petals have fallen onto the table, a common element in Dutch still life that serves as a reminder of the transience of beauty. The background is dark, which makes the flowers stand out in sharp relief.
Verelst was one of the most accomplished flower painters of the Dutch Golden Age, but he is less well known than his contemporaries Jan van Huysum and Rachel Ruysch. His paintings are characterized by their smooth, polished surfaces and their careful observation of the structure of individual flowers. He painted each flower with a precision that recalls botanical illustration, but he arranged them in compositions that are more decorative than scientific.
The painting was made in 1669, the same year that Rembrandt painted his Self-Portrait at the age of 63, and the year before the Dutch Republic's Golden Age began to decline. The flower still life was one of the most popular genres in Dutch painting, and it reflected the wealth and the interests of the Dutch merchant class, who had made their fortunes in trade and who filled their houses with paintings of the flowers they grew in their gardens.
Oil on canvas, 76 by 64 centimeters. Verelst painted with a smooth, controlled touch, building each flower in thin, even layers of color. The roses are painted in layers of pink and white, with the petals built in concentric rings. The peonies are painted in thick, opaque strokes of white and red, with the petals described by the direction of the brushwork. The glass vase is painted in thin strokes of gray and blue, with the reflections indicated by small dots of white. The fallen petals on the table are painted in a few quick strokes of pink and white.
The vertical format and bright palette make this print work well in a living room, bedroom, or hallway. The pinks, whites, reds, and greens pair with white walls, natural wood, and rooms with a traditional or floral character. The 16x20 or 18x24 size gives the flowers room to read. The painting has a lush, decorative quality that suits rooms with a warm or domestic mood.
The painting entered the Cleveland Museum of Art with funds from the Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund.
This is a CC0 artwork from the Cleveland Museum of Art. We print it on archival matte paper at sizes from 8x10 to 18x24 inches, framed or unframed.
