Still Life with Bouquet of Flowers and Bird’s Nest, 1780?

About the Work

The drawing by Wybrand Hendriks testifies to the continued popularity of Jan van Huysum’s flower still lifes (for example “Flowers in a Woven Basket and a Bird’s Nest” (Inv.-Nr. 826)) until far into the eighteenth century. In a composition after the manner of the older master, Hendriks combined set pieces from that artist’s works – not only individual blossoms but also, for example, the park landscape in the background and the vase with its relief decorations. In the watercolour execution, he competed with his predecessor’s virtuoso technique. The use of a metal stylus to trace the outlines may have served as a means of documenting individual motifs.