Flowers in an Urn
Jan van Huysum·c. 1720/1722
Historical Context
Jan van Huysum painted these Flowers in an Urn around 1720-22, during his peak years as the most celebrated flower painter in Europe. Van Huysum, based in Amsterdam, commanded prices that far exceeded those of any previous flower painter, with collectors across the continent competing for his works. His innovations — lighter backgrounds, asymmetrical arrangements, and unprecedented botanical accuracy — transformed the tradition established by earlier Dutch flower painters.
Technical Analysis
Van Huysum's oil on panel demonstrates his celebrated technique of building up transparent glazes to achieve extraordinary luminosity in petals and leaves. The light background, a departure from the dark grounds of earlier flower painting, creates an airy, naturalistic setting that enhances the botanical precision.
Provenance
(Jacques Goudstikker, Amsterdam), by 1919 until at least 1920. Vas Diag, before 1924; (Leggatt Brothers, London); acquired 21 July 1924 by Lord Claud Hamilton;[1] by inheritance to his widow, Lady Claud Hamilton; (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 28 November 1975, no. 23); (Alexander Gallery, London); purchased 18 February 1977 by NGA. [1] The provenance from Vas Diag to Lord Hamilton is given in a letter from Charles Leggatt to Arthur Wheelock, 31 December 1982, in NGA curatorial files. Records of the Leggatt Brothers that might have provided more information about Diag and the purchase from him were destroyed in World War II. “Lord Claud Hamilton” could be one of several people; one possibility is that he was Lord Claud Nigel Hamilton (1889–1975), whose widow (she died 1984) was born Violet Ruby Ashton, and was earlier Mrs. Keith W. Newall.
See It In Person
More by Jan van Huysum
Still Life with Flowers and Fruit
Jan van Huysum·c. 1715
Vase of Flowers in a flower pot and a bird's nest on a marble slab
Jan van Huysum·1721
Arcadian Landscape with Saints Peter and John Healing the Lame Man
Jan van Huysum·1724
Flower still life in a terracotta vase, for two columns and a park landscape with a statue of Venus
Jan van Huysum·1723
