Still Life with Fruits, Foliage and Insects, c. 1669
Abraham Mignonexpand_more
Oil on canvasexpand_more
Gift of Bruce B. Daytonexpand_more 87.4
On View in Gallery 311expand_more
Still lifes often carried symbolic meanings for their original Dutch viewers. Here, the crowded display of fruit and insects testifies to the bounty of nature. Abraham Mignon’s virtuoso technique also reveals his desire to vie with the natural world and briefly halt time’s passage by fixing these objects in paint. The sheer variety of natural organisms still fascinates. But the fruit has begun to rot, and the once-mighty oak tree shows signs of blight. The stone in the foreground has fallen from a once-perfect building, and the arch in the right background crumbles. Butterflies and caterpillars, traditional symbols of transience, also allude to the impermanence of earthly things.
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Details
- Title
- Still Life with Fruits, Foliage and Insects
- Artist Life
- 1640–1679
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 87.4
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Kraemer-Noble, 57.
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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