![According to the entry about this painting in the exh catalog “A Feast of Fruit & Flowers”: ‘Roses & Butterfly’ is more intimate than many of [V]an Oosterwyck’s other works. Roses and tulips lie across a marble table top, tied together with a blue bow. The painting demonstrates the artist’s attention to detail, from the individual thorns on the stem of the rose to the veins in the stone table. The flowers are painted with numerous shades of pink, forming a stark contrast against the green leaves and dark background. At the center of the composition, a bright, white butterfly alights gracefully on the rose. Though the composition may seem simple, [V]an Oosterwyck has carefully arranged the flowers to create a compelling image, showing a variety of angles and stages of bloom to present each in the most interesting and appealing way. The bouquet also includes wilting flowers and browning leaves, serving as a memento mori, a reminder to viewers that nothing lasts forever. The tulips exhibit the striped coloring of the tulip breaking virus—a distinctive look that was incredibly desirable (and often incredibly expensive) during ‘tulip manis’ in the 17th-century Netherlands.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:6ptxeoq2bfatck3ca6ssid3r/bafkreihqra3yerdd7fy2tymbdfisnllngxglihg2re52hdalaisuccrjhu)
According to the entry about this painting in the exh catalog “A Feast of Fruit & Flowers”: ‘Roses & Butterfly’ is more intimate than many of [V]an Oosterwyck’s other works. Roses and tulips lie across a marble table top, tied together with a blue bow. The painting demonstrates the artist’s attention to detail, from the individual thorns on the stem of the rose to the veins in the stone table. The flowers are painted with numerous shades of pink, forming a stark contrast against the green leaves and dark background. At the center of the composition, a bright, white butterfly alights gracefully on the rose. Though the composition may seem simple, [V]an Oosterwyck has carefully arranged the flowers to create a compelling image, showing a variety of angles and stages of bloom to present each in the most interesting and appealing way. The bouquet also includes wilting flowers and browning leaves, serving as a memento mori, a reminder to viewers that nothing lasts forever. The tulips exhibit the striped coloring of the tulip breaking virus—a distinctive look that was incredibly desirable (and often incredibly expensive) during ‘tulip manis’ in the 17th-century Netherlands.
Roses and Butterfly, n.d., by #MariaVanOosterwijck ( #MariaVanOosterwyck; Dutch, 1630–1693). Held at the Crocker Art Museum, www.crockerart.org/art/detail/r...
#artherstory #womenartists #InternationalFlowerDay #flowerday
