Lot 1285 Dα

In order to paint every detail of his still lifes as realistically as possible, van Huysum conducted extensive studies from nature. He once wrote to a patron explaining that the reason his work took so long to produce was that the artist was unable to locate suitable yellow roses for his sketches.
Van Huysum was taught to paint by his father Justus. He spent his entire life in Amsterdam and dedicated most of his career to flower still lifes, but also painted several landscapes and mythological scenes, as well as being a prolific draughtsman. The opulent bouquets that earned Huysum his international reputation included flowers from all seasons, arranged elegantly and with an air of spontaneity in various stages of bloom. Avid collectors were known to spend over 1000 gulders on a single piece.
Independently of one another, both Ingvar Bergström in 1983 and Fred Meijer in 2008 identified this work as an early example of Jan van Huysum's oeuvre, in which although his father's influence is still discernible, Jan has nevertheless achieved a maturity in his style. Fred Meijer dated the work to around 1707. A piece painted by Jan van Huysum's father dated to the same year depicts an almost identical arrangement of flowers (RKDimages no. 117383).