Jan Davidsz de Heem was born in Utrecht in
1606 and received his early traning from his father. In 1626 he moved to
Leiden and from there to Antwerp in 1635. From his residence in Antwerp he
frequently visited the northern provinces. He was in Utrecht in 1649, and
between 1667 and 1672, and in 1669 he rejoined the Utrecht painters'
guild. In 1672 he went back to Antwerp, where he remained until his death
in 1684.
The fine condition of the painting provides an
excellent opportunity to obtain insight into De Heem's painting technique.
On the canvas a double ground was applied. The first layer is composed of
fine-grained red earth pigments, the second - contains lead white, some
black pigments and red earth pigments. On the double ground De Heem
applied uniform layers of colours as a basic hue for the various flowers.
This dead-colouring can be seen in several places.
His refined technique was duly noted by his
contemporaries: 'When De Heem , full of passion, on the untouched panel,
outwit the curious eye by strokes of his brush, Nature, who through the
glow of the paints, sees how her fruit, once glorious, turn pale and die,
wonders why. It is idle to speak about the miser Midas; here art has
turned paint into pure gold'...
