Lot 1078 Dα

This work depicts a golden vessel on a marble slab before a midnight black ground that perfectly sets off the brightness of the flowers: A blue iris in the centre beside a poppy flower and bud, a red and white spotted tulip, snowballs, roses, and a single deep yellow marigold. A white snail crawls along a rose leaf, a small black beetle feeds on a carnation flower, whilst a dragonfly approaches the colourful arrangement from the left.
Works by the Dutch still life painter Nicolaes Lachtropius do not crop up often on the art market, and those that do are mainly forest floor depictions in the manner of Marseus van Schriek. The present work is one of his rarer classical floral still lifes in the manner of Willem van Aelst. Like those of this Delft master, Lachtropius' works are also characterised by their naturalistic style and use of contrasting colours. A similar work by this artist is kept in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.