Vase with flowers in a stone niche, Roelant Saver from the old master collection

Vase with Flowers in a Stone Niche is one of Savery's most ambitious floral still lifes, not only because of its relatively large size (the third-largest floral arrangement by his hand) but also because of the care with which all the details are rendered. For example, the glass rummer in which the flowers are arranged protrudes a little over the rim and casts a small drop shadow on the profiled stone frame. To the left below the vase, the painter's signature and the year 1615 appear to be chiseled into the stone. Small, painted damages in the frame enhance the trompe-l'oeil effect of the representation.

As usual in floral still lifes from the early seventeenth century, the depiction shows something that does not exist in reality: namely, flowers blooming at the same time while in real life they have their flowering time in different seasons. In this sense, the painting surpasses nature, as it were. Striking in the colorful floral splendor in this painting are the prominently displayed thorn branches at the heart of the scene. These evoke a somewhat menacing atmosphere, perhaps intended as a warning not to be deceived by the alluring beauty of the blooming flowers. Roelant Saverij had a penchant for depicting wild, sometimes ominous nature. This predilection is reflected in this floral arrangement as well. It is a world where the most beautiful flowers shine, but where danger seems to lurk in a small corner

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