Christiaen van Pol

With Didier Aaron, Paris;

Where acquired, in 1988;

By inheritance to the present owner.

Originally from Berkenrode, near Haarlem, Van Pol initially studied in Antwerp. Here he came across Cornelis and Gerard van Spaendonck, and especially Jan Frans van Dael, to whom he remained close all his life. They travelled together to Paris, where Van Pol produced his first miniatures and painted decorations for snuffboxes. He was also involved in projects for the Gobelins Manufactory. Additionally, in collaboration with Van Dael, he undertook the decoration of several châteaux around Paris.

The present composition demonstrates the skilful and precise brushstroke of a painter who was also a miniaturist: Van Pol has here produced an exquisite gem, describing in minute detail the textures and nuances of each flower, albeit within a restricted format. The opulence of the bouquet, with its vibrant colours, seems to transcend the work’s dimensions, its focus solely on contemplation of the variety of blooms. This lush arrangement is displayed in a vase decorated with putti, a motif found in several of the artist’s works, for example his Still life with a vase of flowers, a fish bowl and a bird’s nest on a ledge, sold in our showrooms (Sotheby’s, Paris, 22 June 2010, lot 54, sold for €126,750).

The realism of the composition in no way diminishes its lively quality, reinforced by the presence of the bird on the ledge and the nest full of eggs at the foot of the vase. In the background on the left, it is even possible to make out a stone sculpture of a woman carrying a fully laden basket. Every flower can be identified, but the variety of species does not detract from the balance of the expertly constructed composition, with its sustained ascending movement. This harmonious bouquet, a mass of stalks and petals, places Van Pol firmly in the tradition of painters of the Dutch Golden Age, perpetuating the expertise for which his homeland had long been renowned.