Still Life with Flowers and Fruit

Jan van Huysum

c. 1721

oil on panel

Rijksmuseum

A lavish bouquet of flowers and fruit is arranged in and around a decorative vase, set against a dark background. The flower still life was a very popular genre in the 18th century, which Van Huysum took to great heights. He filled this painting almost to the edges with flowers and fruit. The colour of the leaf on the left is odd. This is because the yellow pigment Van Huysum mixed with blue to make green has faded under the influence of (sun)light. As a result, the originally green passages in this painting are now blue.