Stilleven met vruchten 1714 - 1760

Michiel van Huysum created this watercolour of fruit still life in the eighteenth century. Watercolour is an interesting medium. It is portable and quick-drying, and lends itself to intimate observation of the world. As you can see in this work, it can be used to create an illusion of volume, texture and weight, rendering the peaches, plums and walnuts as though they were sitting right in front of you. In the 1700s, Europe was hungry for natural knowledge and beautiful decoration in equal measure. A watercolour like this, therefore, could have served multiple purposes: as a scientific record of fruit varieties, as a model for an engraving, or simply as an aesthetic delight. But note, too, that van Huysum made this image, not a painting, in oil on canvas. This connects him to the traditions of craft more than the world of fine art. For him, perhaps, there was no meaningful distinction. It's up to us to decide if there should be.