Floral Still Life with Hollyhock and Marigold

From the 1600s into the early 18th century, many Dutch artists produced flower still lifes, which emerged from illustrated studies of actual plants, the rise of floral symbolism in religious paintings, and the development of ornamental horticulture facilitated by a wider reach of trade in the 15th and 16th centuries. Jan van Huysum was one of the most prominent masters of this genre, attracting patrons beyond his native country. This intimate composition includes pink hollyhocks, which were brought to Europe from Asia by the first century CE, and an orange African marigold. Native to Mexico, the marigold became established in northern Africa and was introduced to Europe in the 1530s by way of Spain. Van Huysum painted from life with astonishing skill, reproducing every leaf, stem, and bloom with remarkable fidelity to nature.