Dutch Flower Painting, 1600-1720 - Hardcover

Taylor, Mr. Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300053908 ISBN 13: 9780300053906

Publisher: Yale University Press, 1995

Synopsis

At the time of the great tulip speculation of the 1630s in Holland, the most desirable tulip bulbs were auctioned for more money than the most expensive houses in Amsterdam. At the same time flower paintings which were remarkable for their apparent realism were produced all over Holland and purchased by Dutch families as enduring substitutes for the real thing. This beautiful book reveals the fascinating genesis and growth of a whole genre of paintings that has rarely been studied.
Paul Taylor begins by discussing Holland's 'tulipomania' and its effect on the way people thought about floral still lifes. He then considers the religious messages associated with the flower paintings, exploring how religious writers spoke of flowers as moral signposts from God and how some flower paintings were meant to remind viewers of the transience of earthly existence. Flower paintings were not bought only as records of luxury objects or for moral edification, however. They were also enjoyed as works of art, as masterpieces of illusion, composition and colour harmony, so Taylor analyses the art-theoretical writings of the time in order to understand how artists and connoisseurs responded to flower pieces. He concludes by analysing the paintings themselves, tracing the development and refinement of the actual practice of flower painting.

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Reviews

This scholarly work examines 17th-century Dutch flower painting within the contexts of symbolism, political and economic events, religion, art criticism, and the art market. Detailed discussions use 17th-century sources to explore the significance of these paintings to their cultural contemporaries. Attractive reproductions, most of them in color, serve to illustrate the points that are made in the text. Interested lay readers are likely to enjoy the reproductions and discussions of individual painters. Because much of the book concentrates on fairly narrow interpretive issues, however, it will be of primary interest to scholars and students of the period. Recommended for specialized collections.?Kathryn Wekselman, MLn., Cincinnati
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300053908
• ISBN 13: 9780300053906
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240