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1. Mignon, Abraham, A Vase of Flowers
Gallery 57, Second Floor, Dutch Still-life Paintings
Many of the plants and flowers in this picture are identical to those
featured in the Object of the Month, such as poppies, tulips, roses
and cow-parsley. An element of the exotic appears in the form of the
corn on the cob, which lies on the shelf and was a recent arrival
from the Americas. As with the other Mignon, the composition of this
painting combines a rich variety of wild and garden flowers with animal
life. Can you find the dragonfly, bee and ladybird?
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2. Jan Davidz De Heem, Still Life of
Fruit, c.1630
Gallery 57, Second Floor, Dutch Still-life Paintings
Jan Davidz De Heem was the dominant influence on Abraham Mignon
when he moved to Utrecht in 1664 and was the most influential painter
working in the Netherlands in the second half of the 17th century.
Here he seems to have abandoned allegorical references and to be
simply expressing the beauty of the natural world.
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3. Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, Still-life,
early 1730s
Gallery 55, Second Floor, 18th Century Art
Chardin was highly aware of his Dutch predecessors and his early
work was very reminiscent of those by the old masters. Later, however,
he developed his own style, marked by a feeling of intimacy and the
use of commonplace objects, as can be seen here. Popular during his
lifetime, he is now regarded as one of the greatest French still-life
painters. Especially noticeable here is the contrast between the soft
succulence of the fish and the solidity of the kitchen equipment.
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