Ambrosius
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Ambrosius
II Bosschaert is a representative of 17th century Dutch still life, he
was one of the first painters who concentrated entirely on still lifes
with bouquets of flowers and fruit.
Bosschaert was born in Antwerp in 1573, but had to flee to Holland
because of his religious beliefs before reaching the age of twenty. He
settled in Middelburg, the capital of the Dutch province of Zeeland,
where
he became famous for his radially composed still lifes of flowers.
Later
he also worked in Utrecht and Breda.
The most famous of his works is no doubt his Bouquet
of Flowers, placed in front of a round, arched window. It
has
been observed that Bosschaert’s still lifes, combine flowers that
blossom
at different times, so that this is an idealized flower still life, a
painted
botanical encyclopedia to a contemporary viewer, at the same time his
floral
paintings have a symbolic meaning, which is true for all early masters
of the still lifes, even though the symbols are often hidden from
contemporary
eyes.
As a floral still life painter Bosschaert started a whole ‘dynasty’
that
specialized in the subject, and the tradition he had started was
continued
by his three sons, two brothers-in-law and a son in law. He also worked
as an art dealer.
Bosschaert died in The Hague in 1621. He had a great deal of influence
on Dutch still-life painting.