A Vase of Flowers (1716)

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A Vase of Flowers
ArtistMargaretha Haverman Edit this on Wikidata
Year1716
Mediumoil paint, panel
Dimensions79.4 cm (31.3 in) × 60.3 cm (23.7 in)
LocationMetropolitan Museum of Art
Accession No.71.6 Edit this on Wikidata
IdentifiersRKDimages ID: 197003
The Met object ID: 436634
[edit on Wikidata]

A Vase of Flowers is a 1716 floral painting by the Dutch painter Margaretha Haverman. It is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1]

Acquisition

This work was acquired as part of the initial purchase in 1871 of 174 paintings bought in Europe by

Statens Museum for Kunst. In 1997 Delia Gaze remarked that this work was sold for 2100 francs to the MET and its pendant (now lost) was sold for 2050 francs.[3]
Blodgett must be credited with investing in the art of a woman, even if he let the pendant get away. Later curators must also be credited with keeping it, as only half of the 174 paintings are still in the collection.

Description and interpretation

The work shows blooms of

tulip, forget-me-nots, the fruits peach and grape, and various insects such as a Red Admiral, fly, ants, and a snail.[1]
The vase itself is an object showing a baroque relief.[1]

The painting follows in a tradition of Dutch and Flemish flower still life paintings showing flowers in a vase with insects. This was popular among Dutch women painters of Haverman's time whose works she would have been familiar with, as evidenced by the forged signature of Rachel Ruysch on a painting by Ottmar Elliger in the popular flowers in a vase on a ledge with insects style. This painting had been in the famous collection of Josephus Augustinus Brentano and was later purchased by Adriaan van der Hoop as by Ruysch.[4] The painting illustrates the model the women worked from, as well as the relative value of Ruysch's work over that of Elliger later in the 18th-century. Haverman was registered as a pupil of the flower painter Jan van Huysum, who was known for guarding his secrets and keeping his painting knowledge in the family. This work shows the influence of Van Huysum in its "niche" setting.

  • Painting by Ottmar Elliger of 1673 that was later adorned with the forged signature of Ruysch
    Painting by Ottmar Elliger of 1673 that was later adorned with the forged signature of Ruysch
  • Painting by Jan van Huysum c. 1715 in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston that shows the same niche used by Haverman
    Painting by Jan van Huysum c. 1715 in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston that shows the same niche used by Haverman

Comparable works by Haverman's compatriots were:

Possible followers of her technique were Francina Margaretha van Huysum and Cornelia van der Mijn, whose green coloring appears to have faded to blue in the same way as the paintings of Backer and Haverman. This fading is possibly due to the use of a faded yellow lake pigment.[2]

  • Flower Still Life, Cornelia van der Mijn
    Flower Still Life, Cornelia van der Mijn
  • A Delft Vase with Flowers, Francina Margaretha van Huysum
    A Delft Vase with Flowers, Francina Margaretha van Huysum

References

  1. ^
    RKD
    .
  2. ^ a b c Cat. no. 72 in Dutch Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Volume I, by Walter Liedtke, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007
  3. ^ Haverman's MET painting in Delia Gaze's Dictionary of Women Artists
  4. ^ Stilleven met bloemen, 1673[permanent dead link], Amsterdam Museum catalog
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