Rijksmuseum

A Rose and Five Insects

Date

1618

Medium

parchment (animal material), watercolor (paint), gouache (paint)

Institution

Rijksmuseum

Drawn floral still lifes from the first half of the 17th century are rare. Only later in the century would flower arrangements come to occupy a modest place in the art of drawing of the Northern Netherlands. Christoffel van den Berghe’s still life consists of a single blossom. The large pale pink rose faces down. Could this be a reference to the transience of all earthly life?

The authoritative record is held by Rijksmuseum. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.