Balthasar van der Ast
Still Life of Flowers in a Glass Vase

Public Domain

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Artist Balthasar van der Ast (Dutch, c. 1593/4–1657)Dutch, c. 1593/4–1657

CultureDutch

Titles

Still Life of Flowers in a Glass Vase

Date1624

MediumOil on copper

DimensionsImage: 12 3/8 × 9 5/16 in. (31.4 × 23.7 cm)
Frame: 18 5/8 × 15 3/4 in. (47.3 × 40 cm)

Credit LineSarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, Houston

Object numberBF.2007.4

Current Location

The Audrey Jones Beck Building

217 Blaffer Galleries

On view

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Department

Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation

Object Type

PAINTING

DescriptionBalthasar van der Ast one of the earliest masters of the flower still life, filled his images with rare and coveted blooms, such as the irises and tulips seen in this painting. To enliven his scenes, he often employed creatures like the dragonfly and the artfully contorted lizard in the foreground. The choice of copper as a support for this intimate work allowed Van der Ast to attain a smooth surface for his delicate, liquid brushwork. Thin layers of glazes overlay a careful underdrawing, now visible in the white rose on the lower left, in order to create the vividly colored flowers and foliage.

Provenance[P. de Boer Gallery, Amsterdam, 1982]; [French & Co., New York, 1984]; [Robert Noortman Gallery, Maastricht], private collection, Germany, 1987; [Sotheby's, London, July 10, 2002, lot 28]; [Johnny van Haeften, Ltd., London, 2007]; purchased by the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, 2007.

Exhibition HistoryStaatliche Kunstsammlungen, Gemäldegalerie, Kassel, Germany, 1989–2001.

"Hidden Layers: Painting and Process in Europe, 1500–1800," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 26–September 3, 2018.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Signed and dated lower center: B.vander.ast.fe.1624

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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