Lot 1307 Rα

The thistle, with its spiky leaves, red flowers and thorn-covered buds dominates this large composition. Pieter Snyers emphasises the plant's unusual form through dramatic lighting, which accentuates the sharp contours of the leaves so that they appear to spread out over the painting like lightning. The cold blue-green of the leaves increases this dramatic effect, and the red, yellow and white flowers add splashes of colour to an otherwise monochrome composition. The artist obviously concentrated on botanical accuracy in his depiction of the plants, as shown by the wilted leaf with its pale ochre and brown edge. The drama shown by Snyders in the depiction of the plant corresponds to the scene that plays out within its protection - here, a bird has built its nest and laid eggs. However, the bird is not to be seen, and instead one of the eggs lies broken beside the nest and is being approached by a mouse from the side, and a snail is shown crawling down from above.
Pieter Snyers is among the masters of the last great bloom of Dutch still life painting in the first half of the 18th century. He was born in Antwerp in 1681 and was taught under Alexander van Bredael, a member of the large family of painters based in Antwerp. Pieter Snyers became a member of the Guild of St. Luke in 1707, and later lead the Royal Art Academy in his home town. His oeuvre not only contains still lifes of all kinds, but also genre scenes and portraits, a number of which are thought to have been made during a stay in England. The forest still life was developed in the mid 17th century, at the latest with the paintings of Otto Marseus van Schrieck, who specialised in this genre and helped it to popularity. The little battles fought between reptiles, insects and small animals in the shade of forest plants were interpreted morally.