Mr. and Mrs. William Draper Blair

he: 1902 - 1994; she: 1906 - 1983

Explore Selected Works

French 17th Century, Flowers in a Classical Vase, late 17th century, oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Draper Blair, 1976.26.1

Flowers in a Classical Vase

French 17th Century · late 17th century · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1976.26.1

A profusion of flowers mostly in ruby red, bright white, and flamingo pink are gathered in a bronze-colored urn, set on a stone ledge against a dark background in this vertical still life painting. A band of flowers reaching from the lower left to the upper right draw the eye, and are made up of a pink rose at the bottom under a white rose, a white-and-red streaked tulip, and a crimson-red poppy near the upper right. Other flowers include a sprig of pale, nearly white lilac to the left, sapphire-blue morning glories, golden stalks of wheat, and green leaves interspersed throughout. The urn has a fluted, flaring foot. Upon closer inspection we find that the foot must belong to a much larger vessel, for a terracotta-colored person reclining next to a stylized fish emerges from behind the flowers at the upper left. An ivory-white butterfly with an orange spot on each wing alights on the tulip, whose petals are spread wide. A snail with a marmalade-orange shell with a thin, shiny, black spiral crawls along the ledge to our right, and on the stone ledge to our left, an earwig eats a honey-yellow caterpillar. The flowers and insects are brightly lit from our left, and the chocolate-brown background is swallowed in shadow. A partially legible inscription in the lower right reads, “Kouwe be h.”
Philip van Kouwenbergh, Flowers in a Vase, c. 1700, oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Draper Blair, 1976.26.2

Flowers in a Vase

Philip van Kouwenbergh · c. 1700 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1976.26.2