Miraculous Bouquets: Flower and Fruit Paintings by Jan van Huysum - Softcover

Woollett, Anne T.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1606060902 ISBN 13: 9781606060902

Publisher: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2011

Synopsis

Precisely rendered to dazzle the eye with their botanical accuracy, the sumptuous arrays of fruit and flowers by Dutch painter Jan van Huysum (1682–1749) were among the most avidly collected paintings of the eighteenth century. The arrangements were painstakingly executed over many months and commanded exceptionally high prices from admirers throughout Europe.

This delightful book explores two of Van Huysum’s most important still-life paintings, Vase of Flowers and Fruit Piece, both in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum. Executed in 1722, they are among the first works to feature the innovations Van Huysum introduced to a beloved Dutch tradition. Like his seventeenth-century predecessors, Van Huysum combined flowers and fruits that flourished at different times of the year into a single bouquet. He worked directly from nature rather than from sketchbooks and animated the arrangements with crawling insects and butterflies. His inimitable technique resulted in an illusionism that continues to captivate us today. The book’s sumptuous plates reveal the artist’s highly nuanced palette, and his exuberant, asymmetrical arrangements reflect emerging rococo rhythms.

About this title

About the Author:

Anne T. Woollett is curator in the Department of Paintings at the J. Paul Getty Museum. She is the author of Rembrandt in Southern California (Getty Publications, 2009) and coauthor of Looking at Paintings: A Guide to Technical Terms (Getty Publications, 2009).

About this edition

• Publisher: J. Paul Getty Museum
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1606060902
• ISBN 13: 9781606060902
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48