Bos rozen en violen c. 1845 - 1865

This ‘Bos rozen en violen’ or ‘Bunch of roses and violets’ was anonymously created, medium unknown, though one assumes it was watercolor on vellum or paper. Floral painting was a highly codified genre in the Netherlands in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The demand for floral painting increased greatly in the seventeenth century. In the Dutch Golden Age, the Netherlands went through a period of unprecedented economic growth and prosperity. With new wealth came new spending habits. For the first time in European history, a large segment of the population could afford luxuries such as art. Although the artist is unknown, the creation of this piece can be seen as part of a larger system in which the production and reception of art was shaped by a complex set of social, political, and economic forces. Historians consult archives, period publications, and other artworks to better understand the social life of art. By examining the cultural and institutional context, we come to see that the meaning of art is contingent on something larger than the artwork itself.