Flowers in a Glass, 1606 (oil on copper)

One of the first artists to specialize in flower painting, Bosschaert depicted flowers with a fine technique that seems almost devoid of individual brushstrokes. His precision is also a result of the painting's copper support. When applied to the white ground typically used to coat a copper plate, oil paint takes on an enamel-like quality. Placed in a simple studded glass, the principal flowers of this bouquet are tulips, each carefully silhouetted so that their individual features could be portrayed. The anchor of this carefully arranged composition is the spider lily (hymenocallis) in the lower center, accompanied by two yellow crocuses. Butterflies, other insects, and snails enliven this still life. Bosschaert worked in the town of Middelburg, where he had access to several botanical gardens and scientific collections of natural specimens. He was also an art dealer, who traded with Antwerp, Frankfurt, London, and Ireland.