Vase of Flowers in a Niche

Jan van HUYSUM

Van Huysum employs here the traditional motifs of flower painting, but carries them to a pitch of brightly colored and joyfully assymetrical decorative opulence. The different varietes of flowers are depicted full-blown, with great care for naturalistic detail. The spirit of the painting can be compared to that of a vanitas: the beauty of these flowers will soon fade, the dewdrops symbolize the ephemerality of life, the flies rare a reminder of the imminence of decay.

Vase of Flowers in a Niche / Jan van HUYSUM
© RMN-Grand Palais (Musée du Louvre) / Tony Querrec

Art Gallery

Mona Lisa – Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo

La Belle Jardinière – Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist

Flowers, Shells, Butterflies, and Grasshopper

Flowers in a Crystal Vase Standing on a Stone Pedestal, with a Dragonfly

The Bather, known as the Valpinçon Bather

Flowers in a Stone Frame opening onto a Landscape

Relationship of the human figure with that of the lionlion

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Formerly a royal palace, the Louvre has embraced the history of France for eight centuries. Open to the public since 1793, the Louvre collections are among the finest in the world, encompassing several thousands of years and spread across a large territory from America to the confines of Asia. Divided among nine departments, the collections feature works admired throughout the globe, including the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Venus de Milo.

After the French Revolution, the Louvre was created as a place where artists could admire the great masters and look for inspiration. Even today, the Louvre remains a place of inspiration for the greatest contemporary creators, architects, painters, sculptors, dancers, and musicians.

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