Fruit and Flowers, Paulus Theodorus van Brussel

Fruit and Flowers, Paulus Theodorus van Brussel (1789) Van Brussel was born in the village of Zuid Polsbroek, near Utrecht. His first teacher was the Haarlem painter Jan Augustini (1729-1773), for whom he worked making decorative paintings for the walls of elegant homes. Van Brussel moved to Amsterdam in 1774, and lived there for the remainder of his life, active as a painter of fruit and flower still lifes; dated works are known from 1778 to 1794. His colourful and highly finished paintings featured in prominent collections throughout Europe. He drowned while ice skating, at the age of 41. The arrangement includes poppies, hollyhocks, and celosia, as well as grapes, peaches, plums, melons, a pineapple, and a number of curious insects. The pineapple in the top right of the painting balances the diagonal thrust of the composition, although as an individual object it seems to have no effective means of support. In the 18th century, pineapples were relatively rare in Europe, and were considered an expensive delicacy. Characteristic of 18th-century flower still lifes, the fruit and flowers are arranged on a ledge in front of a light-coloured background. Faint indications of trees suggest a garden setting.