Blumenstrauß in einem Korb, dabei eine Schnecke und ein Schmetterling 

Oswald Wijnen made this watercolor painting of a flower bouquet in a basket, sometime in the 18th century. The artist employed traditional painting techniques to create this artwork. The detailed, realistic depiction of the flowers, snail, and butterfly, along with the blending of colors, showcase a high level of skill. The visual effect is dependent on a mastery of watercolor application, pushing the medium’s inherent delicacy to create near-illusionistic form. While painting is often considered a ‘fine art,’ we can see how Wijnen also engages with the history of botanical illustration, and also the tradition of flower arrangement as a decorative art. In the 18th century, the Dutch Republic was a global center for both these practices. Flowers became valuable commodities, collected and traded with a passion that we might associate today with fine art. So, even a seemingly straightforward picture like this one brings together diverse aspects of art and craft, production and consumption. It reminds us that all works of art are, in a sense, still life.