AFA 18th Anniversary

WINTERTHUR PRIMER T he f loral still life genre of painting emerged in sixteenth-century Europe and developed into one of the most popular artistic products of seventeenth- century Holland. Dutch flower paintings functioned as decorative images, specimens for scientific investigation, and as representations of the brevity of life. They became so admired over the next two centuries that prints reproducing specific Dutch floral still life paintings circulated on the Continent, in England, and throughout the New World. Jan van Huysum (1682–1749) represented the culmination of the Dutch f lower still life tradition that relied on detailed, naturalistic depictions of nature. However, his artful bouquets employed asymmetrical arrangements that mixed exotic and local f lowers from different seasons, yielding lush, imaginative combinations, often gathered in a classicizing vase. His paintings had many admirers and imitators throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and reached a wide audience through prints. Austrian printmaker Johann Peter Pichler (1765–1807) created two mezzotints representing van Huysum’s lavish compositions in rich tones and delicate surfaces (Figs. 1, 2). Pichler made these prints in Vienna where he spent the majority of his career and where he likely saw one of the source paintings by van Huysum, Flower Still Blossoming Prints by ELIZABETH SIMMONS The Proliferation of the Dutch Flower Still Life 2018 Antiques & Fine Art 187 Figs. 1, 2: Johann Peter Pichleer (1765-1807), Still life with flowers and bird’s nest and Still life with flowers and fruit, after Jan van Huysum (1682–1749), early-nineteenth century. Mezzotints, 23½ x 17½ inches. Winterthur Museum (1994.0110.001-002).