Still-life paintings are an important and much-admired type in seventeenth-century Dutch art. Van der Ast is considered a master of the “combined” still life composition; he had an exceptional ability to join flowers, fruit, and exotic shells into one powerful image. Although the placement of elements appears casual, it is instead highly deliberate. This painting is richly filled with meticulously rendered objects that have an almost palpable quality, demonstrating van der Ast’s interest in the virtuoso effects of his craft. The painting might also hold an underlying message regarding the transience of earthly existence, as seen in the slowly withering flowers and grape leaves. The artist’s signature can be found in the lower left corner.
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