Still life paintings by Jan van Huysum

18th century Dutch still life artist Jan van Huysum painted the details of his paintings from close study of the world around him. Unlike his contemporaries, he had all the flowers he chose to paint sought out in order to observe in person every detail, colour and characteristic to render in paint. He once wrote to a patron that, as he couldn’t get hold of a yellow rose, his painting would be delayed until he could. 

We love his glorious depictions of abundant bouquets arranged with elegance and seeming spontaneity in various states of their lifecycle from bloom to decay. 

(Pop over to Anna Potter’s Instagram for inspiring, contemporary bouquets that remind us of van Huysum’s still life paintings)